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(REUTERS): The Biden administration has defended its decision not to apply sanctions on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after a U.S. intelligence report linked the royal to the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
“We are working to put the US Saudi relationship on the right footing,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a news conference in Washington. “The Biden administration is seeking to recalibrate, not rupture the US-Saudi relationship,” he added.
The spokesperson further said, “Had the Biden administration done something more dramatic and something more drastic by naming MBS for sanctions, it would “greatly diminish US influence in Riyadh.”
“Our goal in all of this is to be able to shape those choices going forward. That’s why we have talked about this not as a rupture but as a calibration to ensure that we retain that influence in what we need for our own interests,” he added.
Meanwhile, talking to an international news channel, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “Historically and even in recent history, Democratic and Republican administrations, there have not been sanctions put in place for the leaders of foreign governments where we have diplomatic relations and even where we don’t have diplomatic relations.”
“We believe there are more effective ways to make sure that this doesn’t happen again and also to leave room to work with the Saudis on areas where there is mutual agreement,” Psaki said.
Washington’s failure to penalize the crown prince has been criticized by rights groups and others, raising questions about accountability and the Biden administration’s pledge to make human rights a foreign policy priority.
The US Department of State on February 26 put 76 Saudi nationals on a no-travel list and the Treasury Department imposed financial sanctions on Saudi officials involved in the killing of Khashoggi but Crown Prince Mohammed was not included.
