Antony Blinken tells Saudis reform means improving nation’s human rights

Riyadh: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday Saudi Arabia’s reform efforts will be more successful if the kingdom expands human rights, as he concluded a visit aimed at repairing strained US-Saudi relations.

Speaking at a press conference alongside his Saudi counterpart, Blinken said the “historic” reform drive known as Vision 2030 would require Saudi Arabia to attract talent from around the world.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken looks on as he attends a joint news conference with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan at the Intercontinental Hotel in Riyadh.Credit: AP

“I think it’s on its own merits and in Saudi Arabia’s interests to continue to pursue this modernisation including the expansion of human rights,” Blinken said.

US intelligence agencies have concluded that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has spearheaded the Vision 2030 initiative, was involved in the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Prince Mohammed denied ordering Khashoggi’s killing but acknowledged later that it occurred “under my watch”.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left, and journalist Jamal Khashoggi, right, who was later killed by the Saudi government.Credit: Briarcliff Entertainment

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said in response to a question about Riyadh’s human rights record that the kingdom had gone through a “significant reform process” but that the government was driven by “the needs and desires of the Saudi people” and not pressure from other countries.

“We are always open to having a dialogue with our friends, but we don’t respond to pressure. When we do anything, we do it in our own interests,” he said.

The announcement on that the Saudi-backed LIV circuit, PGA Tour, and DP World Tour, who have been involved in a bitter fight that has split the sport, would merge shocked the golf world as well as governments.

The LIV Golf series is bankrolled by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund and critics have accused it of being a vehicle for the country to attempt to improve its reputation in the face of criticism of its human rights record.

Much of the backlash centres around the alleged involvement of the Saudi Arabian government in a multitude of human rights violations, including the murder of Khashoggi.

In Riyadh, Blinken said he raised with Saudi officials specific cases of US citizens detained in Saudi Arabia, but declined to go into details.

As well as some US nationals who are subject to travel bans, human rights advocates say scores of activists and dissidents are in prison or on trial in the kingdom.

Reuters

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