US Seeks To Recalibrate, Not Rupture Relations With Saudi Arabia - Blinken

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th February, 2021) The United States seeks to recalibrate rather than rupture its relationship with Saudi Arabia by exposing Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman's role in the murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters.

In his first public appearance after the publication of an unclassified intelligence report, Blinken reaffirmed the United States' commitments to the defense of Saudi Arabia and made it clear that US officials do not steer away from dealings with bin Salman himself.

"The relationship with Saudi Arabia is an important one. We have a significant ongoing interest. We remain committed to the defense of the kingdom. But we also want to make sure... that the relationship better reflects our interest and our values," Blinken said. "So what we have done by the actions that we have taken is really not to rupture the relationship, but to recalibrate it to be more in line with our interests and our values."

The US intelligence report accused bin Salman of approving the operation to kill Khashoggi in 2018.

Apart from exposing the Crown Prince's alleged role in Khashoggi's murder, the US government announced earlier on Friday that it will impose visa restrictions against 76 Saudi individuals deemed responsible for prosecution of dissidents overseas. In addition, the US government designated under the Global Magnitsky Act the so-called Rapid Intervention Force, bin Salman's elite personal protective detail.

Blinken noted that the Biden administration is also reviewing US arms sales to Saudi Arabia in order to limit military supplies to those for defensive purposes and not to feed Riyadh's military campaign in neighboring Yemen.

"We are reviewing these arms sales to make sure that going forward what we do provide goes to the defense of the kingdom, not its ability to prosecute offensive operations," Blinken said.

When asked whether the United States will stop interacting with bin Salman, Blinken said the relationship between the states is bigger than any one individual and noted that the Crown Prince recently talked over the telephone with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.