61°F
weather icon Mostly Clear

Trump rolls out welcome mat for Saudi crown prince’s visit to US

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump saw his first trip abroad as a tour de force in part because of the opulent welcoming ceremony put on by King Salman of Saudi Arabia, who rolled out a red carpet for Trump during his visit to Riyadh.

Tuesday, Trump returned the favor as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – known as MBS to foreign policy wonks – visited the White House.

During meetings in the Oval Office and with other officials in the Cabinet Room, Trump told the 32-year-old heir to the throne that U.S.-Saudi relations are as good as they’ve ever been — that is, a clear improvement over “the very, very strained” relationship under President Barack Obama, whose nuclear deal with Iran so concerned the Saudis.

Just as Trump followed his time in Riyadh with stops in Israel, Italy and Belgium, the crown prince will spend more than two weeks talking to members of Congress and meeting Americans in Boston, New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Houston.

In New York, Mohammed will meet with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and participate in a Saudi-U.S. CEO forum.

The prince’s campaign to charm the American people began before he landed in Washington Monday. Sunday night, the CBS news program “60 Minutes” featured two segments on the charismatic royal, who was appointed heir to the throne a month after Trump’s May 2017 visit, and his efforts to usher the kingdom into the modern world.

Mohammed spoke to CBS’ Norah O’Donnell about Saudi Arabia before 1979 when Saudi women worked, drove cars and enjoyed freedoms. The kingdom took away those freedoms after the Ayatollah Khomeni turned Iran into a rigid theocracy and Riyadh clamped down on women’s rights “to appease their own religious radicals.”

The crown prince wants to bring his country back to the future. Under his reforms, women have been able to join the military, start a business and attend sports events. In June, it will be legal for women to drive in Saudi Arabia.

If Saudi women have fared better under his ascent, Saudi oligarchs have not. In November, Mohammed invited hundreds of Saudi leaders to Riyadh’s Ritz Carlton Hotel where he had them arrested for stealing from the state. Over two months, Saudi princes and business leaders had to pony up ransom or prove their innocence to win their release.

Mohammed estimated the Ritz detainees had siphoned as much as $20 billion annually. “What we did in Saudi Arabia was extremely necessary,” he told O’Donnell. “All actions taken were in accordance with existing and published laws.”

Heritage Foundation senior fellow James Carafano told the Review-Journal, “For Saudi Arabia to be successful in the long term, they’re going to have to deal with corruption and religious freedom.”

Obama’s attempts to spark the so-called Arab Spring fell flat, Carafano added. Trump is right to concentrate on working with the Saudis as the Sunni alliance is vital in checking Iran’s ambitions and Islamic terrorist organizations like ISIS.

The administration had expected to discuss Syria, Yemen, Qatar and efforts to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

During Tuesday’s White House briefing, a reporter asked Press Secretary Sarah Sanders if Trump brought up the subject of Yemeni civilian casualties from airstrikes waged by a Saudi-led coalition that is fighting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Sanders said she was not aware if the subject came up.

When Mohammed talked to member of Congress later in the day, according to a Saudi embassy report, he discussed the kingdom’s efforts to alleviate the humanitarian situation in Yemen.

Trump and Mohammed said they would discuss whether the United States should pull out of the Iranian nuclear deal. Trump told reporters, “The deal is coming up in one month, and you will see what happens.”

If Iran does develop a nuclear bomb, Mohammed told “60 Minutes,” that “we will follow suit as soon as possible.”

Contact Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7391. Follow @DebraJSaunders on Twitter.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Uber-backed proposal would cap attorney fees at 20%

An initiative petition filed with the Secretary of State’s office Monday aims to ensure plaintiffs receive “their fair share” of awards or settlements in civil cases by capping attorneys’ fees at 20 percent.