by Joel C. Rosenberg at AllArab News
In a rare, fascinating and far-reaching interview broadcast on the Al-Arabiya TV channel, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a not-too-subtle signal to U.S. President Joe Biden that if the White House turns away from Riyadh, the Saudis are cultivating other options.
Among the other topics the crown prince discussed at length was how he views the Iranian threat, the crisis in Yemen and, especially, the progress he is making on Vision 2030 – his plan to wean the Kingdom off oil revenues and diversify its economy.
The interview marked the fifth anniversary of the rollout of his sweeping Vision 2030
The crown prince – widely known by his initials MBS – was careful not to criticize the Biden administration.
And he stressed that the United States is “a strategic ally to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Yet, he also conceded there are important differences with the new administration that will need to be worked through.
Asked by the interviewer if there was “any discord between these two allies” and whether the Biden White House had chosen to “turn its back to Riyadh,” the crown prince emphasized that there is 90% agreement with the U.S.
“There is no such thing as a completely 100% agreement between two countries, even with the Gulf countries, the closest ones,” said the crown prince.
“There usually are some kind of differences, which is something you’d find in the same house, where brothers don’t agree 100% on everything.”
“With varying U.S. administrations, of course, the margin of difference may increase or decrease, but we are in agreement with the Biden administration on more than 90% of Saudi-U.S. interests, and we hope to enhance it one way or another.”
MBS said the two countries agreed on “important objectives” like promoting “clean energy and preserving the environment.”
“And for the things we have some differences with them, which make up less than 10%, we try to find solutions and reach an understanding to overcome them, neutralizing their risks on both countries while upholding our interests,” he said.
“The U.S. is certainly a strategic ally to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They have been our ally for more than 80 years, which had quite a big impact on both the Kingdom and the U.S.”
WARNING TO THE WHITE HOUSE?…
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