Biden Weighs Meeting With Saudi De Facto Ruler in Sign of Thaw
- A US official noted that Biden will be in region for GCC
- US-Saudi Arabia relations strained since Khashoggi murder
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US President Joe Biden is weighing a meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman as soon as next month, according to people familiar with the matter, after avoiding contact with the crown prince over the murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
The move will mark a significant shift for Biden. Early in his presidency, the White House had said that Biden would deal only with Saudi Arabia’s official head of state, King Salman bin Abdulaziz. An administration official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter, said Biden may visit the Middle East for meetings with the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional political and economic union, and noted that Saudi Arabia currently holds the presidency of the group.