Saudi crown prince, Blinken had 'candid' talks in Jeddah

7/6/2023 12:35

        U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the early hours of Wednesday and discussed a wide range of bilateral issues, in an "open, candid" conversation, a U.S. official said.
        
        The top U.S. diplomat arrived in Saudi Arabia late on Tuesday for a much anticipated visit amid frayed ties due to deepening disagreements on everything from Iran policy to regional security issues, oil prices and human rights.
        
        Washington is also hoping to further conversations on the possible and eventual normalisation of ties between the kingdom and Israel, while countering expanding Chinese and Russian influence in the region.
        
        Blinken and the crown prince, the de-facto ruler of the kingdom who is also known as MbS, met for an hour and forty minutes, a U.S. official said, covering many topics including Israel, the conflict in Yemen, unrest in Sudan as well as human rights.