US, United Arab Emirates In 'Stress Test' - Ambassador Al Otaiba
It's the first FREE FRIDAY for REEDNEWSARABWORLD! All readers today see the full news report, and there's lots of news. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sat down for a rare and extended interview with The Atlantic magazine, creating headlines around the world. (You can read the full text of the interview here.) And people close to the crown prince say he's playing the oil card with President Joe Biden and wants to be recognized as the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, not ignored.
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Good day from REEDNEWSARABWORLD for Friday, March 4, 2022!
The United Arab Emirates ambassador to the United States made it clear: UAE relations with the United States aren't good and are undergoing a "stress test." Ambassador Al Otaiba has a reputation for straight talk, and he told an audience in Abu Dhabi that the longtime strategic partnership is now being tested. He didn't specify reasons, but several are well known. On the UAE side, they're very displeased that President Joe Biden hasn't listed the Houthis in Yemen as terrorists, as Donald Trump did. For the U.S., the UAE has been too chummy with Russia, a proximity exemplified by the UAE abstaining at UN votes to condemn Russia. (The UAE later voted to do so.)
The sharp differences between the two companies were further illustrated when the U.S. State Department sent a message to U.S. diplomats worldwide. The cable instructed them to use strong and frank language identifying the UAE, along with India, as being "in Russia's camp." The cable was withdrawn the next day. As Al Otaiba said, ‘there are days where the relationship is healthy and days where the relationship is under question."
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sat down for a detailed interview with The Atlantic magazine that produced a flurry of headlines: Some people want his Vision 2030 to fail, but "they can't touch it"; a warning that Saudi Arabia could pull some of its $800 billion in investments from the United States; and those people he locked up at the plush Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh weren't his rivals because "rivals don't exist in the first place." (See the full text of the interview, below.)
But the sharpest look at the crown prince came in a Reuters article, not the magazine interview: People who are supposed to know the crown prince’s thinking say he is playing the oil card, keeping prices high because U.S. President Joe Biden won't recognize him as the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia.
Negotiators in Vienna say the lengthy talks on a nuclear agreement with Iran could end early next week, and the United Nations official in charge of watchdogging Iran's nuclear program will go to Tehran this weekend and could pave the way for a final deal.
News from Libya, where two prime ministers are in conflict, ministers were prevented from traveling for their swearing-in, where an unknown group stopped production at a major Libyan oil field, and More.
In a rare admission of strain, the United Arab Emirates ambassador to the United States says the strategic UAE-US partnership is being tested. Yousef Al Otaiba, speaking at a defense meeting in Abu Dhabi, said "today we're going through a stress test," but he's confident relationships will improve and "get to a better place."
The UAE has been increasingly concerned about defense support as the U.S. tilts much of its interests towards Asia. One particular issue is the failure of the Biden administration to redesignate Yemen’s Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization after missile attacks on Abu Dhabi. Another is the slow sale of F-35 fighter jets to the UAE. On the U.S. side, there is concern about UAE coziness with Russia and high gasoline prices. The U.S. concern was highlighted last week when the UAE twice abstained at the UN Security Council on a resolution against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. When the resolution went before the full UN General Assembly, the UAE voted to condemn Russia.
Al Otaiba said: “Today, we’re going through a stress test, but I'm confident that we will get out of it and get to a better place. It is like any relationship. It has strong days where the relationship is very healthy and days where the relationship is under question."
Reuters, U.S. ties with Gulf partner UAE are being tested, envoy says
The Hill, Ties between UAE, US going through "a stress test," says ambassador.
The United States State Department has recalled a cable to to U.S. diplomats that said the United Arab Emirates, along with India, were "in Russia's camp." The State Department had sent the message to about 50 embassies in countries represented at the United Nations Human Rights Council. The cable suggested strong and frank language the U.S. diplomats should use to try to persuade the UAE and India to change their positions on Russia. The UAE had abstained on two UN Security Council votes denouncing Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The day after the cable was sent, it was withdrawn without explanation. In a later UN vote, the UAE voted to condemn Russia's actions against Ukraine.
Axios, U.S. recalls cable saying India and UAE are "in Russia's camp."
The United States asked Israel to lobby the United Arab Emirates at the United Nations about Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Biden administration worked with Israel to urge the UAE to change its position on Russia after the Emirates voted twice to abstain at the UN Security Council. The U.S. was concerned that the UAE would again abstain at a final UN General Assembly vote. Then Israel's foreign minister, Yair Lapid, was reported to have contacted the UAE foreign minister, Abdullah bin Zayed, telling him that Israel believed voting to condemn Russia would be the right thing to do. And at the General Assembly, both Israel and the UAE voted to condemn Russia.
Axios, U.S. enlisted Israel to lobby UAE to condemn Russian invasion.
The United Nations' top nuclear watchdog goes to Iran this weekend and may wrap up a new nuclear agreement. Negotiators in Vienna say they're very close -- "on the finish line," Russia says -- and Iran wants the UN to wrap up an investigation of its nuclear development Rafael Mariano Grossi, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, will go to Iran Saturday and says his trip may "pave the way" to revive the Iran nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In Vienna, negotiators are wrangling over last-minute details, with some saying they expect an agreement by early next week.
Bloomberg, Nuclear chief says his trip to Iran may 'pave way' for deal.
AFP, UN nuclear watchdog chief to travel to Iran on Saturday.
Iran has almost doubled its stock of uranium that's enriched to 60% fissile purity. A United Nations report said the stock had been 15.5 kg, about 46 pounds, and now has increased to 33.2 kg, or 110 pounds. One senior diplomat said that amount, if enriched further, would be three-quarters the uranium needed for one nuclear bomb. The theoretical yardstick for a bomb is 25 kg enriched to 90%. That's why negotiators are hurrying to wrap up a nuclear agreement before Iran is able to develop a bomb and make all the negotiations pointless.
Reuters, Iran nearing nuclear bomb yardstick as enriched uranium stock grows.
Voice of America, UN nuclear watchdog warns Iran's uranium stockpile beyond limits of 2015 deal.
The coordinator of the nuclear talks in Vienna, Europe's Enrique Mora, says an agreement with Iran is in the final stages -- but "definitely not there yet." Mora, representing the European Union, guides the negotiations and said of their progress: "We are at the final stages... Some relevant issues are still open and success is never guaranteed in such a complex negotiation."
Reuters, Iran nuclear talks in final stages but 'not there yet,' coordinator says.
Saudi Arabia's crown prince warned that the kingdom could reduce its investments in the United States. The Saudi Press Agency quoted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman:
"In the same way we have the possibility of boosting interests, we have the possibility of reducing them." Saudi Arabia's investments in the U.S. are reported at about $800 billion.
The prince, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, noted a "big opportunity" to increase interests but added: "And there is also a big possibility it could be downgraded in many areas."
He said in an interview with The Atlantic, a U.S. magazine, that "whether you want to win in Saudi Arabia or lose it in Saudi Arabia, it is up to you." He also spoke against interference in Saudi internal affairs, saying: “You don’t have the right to interfere in our internal affairs. That's about us Saudis, and no one can do a thing about it."
Asharq Al-Awsat, Saudi Crown Prince says there's an opportunity to boost interests with US or downgrade them.
(This report includes the text of the interview.)
Reuters, Saudi crown prince says kingdom could reduce U.S. investments - SPA.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants U.S. President Joe Biden to recognize that he's the ruler of Saudi Arabia. "That's one reason why (the crown prince) is resisting pressure to pump more crude to lower the price of oil that has surged since Russia attacked Ukraine," Reuters reports. The report said sources familiar with the crown prince's thinking say he also wants a stronger U.S. hand in the Yemen war and that he doesn't care if Biden misunderstands him,
One source said to know the crown prince's thinking said: "The Saudis have demands too, before they meet any of the U.S. requests. The Yemen file and the recognition of the crown prince as the de facto ruler are on top of these."
Reuters, Saudi crown prince plays the oil card in quest for U.S. recognition.
The Saudi crown prince says some people want to see his Vision 2030 project fail, "but they can't touch it -- it will never fail." In the interview with The Atlantic, he attributed the failure expectations to regional and Western groups, saying "There are a lot of people who want to be sure that our project, Saudi Arabia's project today, Vision 2030, fails."
Al Arabiya, Some want to see Saudi Arabia's Vision2030 fail, 'they can't touch it': Crown Prince.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the Ritz Carlton crackdown on Saudi money magnates wasn't intended to eliminate his rivals for power: "Rivals don't exist in the first place." In the interview with The Atlantic, the crown prince defended the 2017 detention of political and business leaders who were housed in the opulent Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh. Asked about rivals, he said "How can you eliminate people who don't have any power to begin with?"
Al Arabiya, Crown prince: Ritz Carlton incident was a crackdown on corruption in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia and Israel potentially can be allies, the Saudi crown prince said. Mohammed bin Salman said Israel first must resolve its conflict with the Palestinians. "We don't look at Israel as an enemy. We look to them as a potential ally, with many interests we can pursue together. But we have to solve some issues before we get to that."
Middle East Eye, Saudi Arabia: Israel can be a 'potential ally,' Mohammed bin Salman says.
A Saudi Arabian court handed down a new death sentence against a young man charged with crimes committed when he was 14 years old. A higher court had overturned his conviction in November but under Saudi law a retrial followed and he was again found guilty on murder and armed robbery charges. The family of Abdullah al-Huwaiti claimed he was convicted because of a false confession, and human rights groups have called his trial "grossly unfair."
Saudi Arabia in 2020 removed the death penalty for juveniles and said it would apply the change retroactively. The state-backed Human Rights Commission said, however, that the removal of the death penalty only applied to a lesser category of offenses.
A human rights worker, Maya Foa, director of Reprieve, an anti-death penalty group, said of the case: "Abdullah al-Huwaiti has now been sentenced to death not once but twice, by a court that knows he was fourteen years old when he was arrested and tortured. How can this be when Saudi Arabia has claimed, so often and so vociferously, to have eliminated the death penalty for children?"
Reuters, Saudi court issues new death sentence against man arrested as juvenile.
Sky News, Abdullah al-Huwaiti: Child offender sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia.
The United Arab Emirates, now chairing the United Nations Security Council, wants to prioritize the UN's cooperation with the Arab League. UAE reports said a briefing will be held on March 23 to further relations, and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is expected to take part in a session chaired by the UAE's minister of state, Khalifa Shaheen Almarasr.
Al Arabiya, UAE to better Arab League ties with UN Security Council as it assumes presidency.
Bahrain's crown prince visited the United States and the two countries signed six agreements. The agreements covered industry, logistics, information technology, space sciences, and other programs. One agreement includes a Bahraini partnership with Microsoft and another with Cisco. The crown prince, Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, met with senior officials at the State Department and Defense Department.
Reuters, Bahrain signs agreements on industry, logistics, space sciences with U.S. - tweet.
Former U.S. diplomats and Middle East experts are asking President Joe Biden to press Tunisia's leader to reverse the country's anti-democratic slide. Some 50 Middle East authorities, including former ambassadors to Tunisia, signed a letter to Biden that read: "We fear that the absence of a strong US reaction to (Kais) Saied's assault on democracy may have encouraged him to press forward on his destructive path." The group asked the Biden administration to work with Congress and put conditions on U.S. assistance to Tunisia. The country's president, Kais Saied, suspended parliament, dismissed a judicial body, and has proposed constitutional changes.
Al-Monitor, Biden urged to put strings on Tunisia aid amid democratic backslide.
The Libyan parliament's chosen prime minister said his swearing-in ceremony was blocked when his rival in Tripoli stopped ministers from traveling. Fathi Bashagha was appointed by Libya's parliament as prime minister. The current interim prime minister, Abdulhamid Dbeibah, said he won't step down until elections are held. Bashagha accused the Dbeibah government of "closing Libya's entire air space" and preventing his appointed ministers from flying to be sworn in at the ceremony in Tobruk.
AFP, Libya PM-in-waiting accuses rival of blocking swearing-in.
Libya's interim government seized three ministers trying to travel by land to the inauguration of a rival government, the newly-designed Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha charged. He said air space was closed to some new ministers, while three planned to travel by land but were seized.
Reuters, Libya crisis worsens as rival government takes oath.
Production was halted at Libya's biggest oil field after an unknown group shut down a main valve. The Sharara field produces 290,000 barrels of oil per day, and the shutdown came as Libya continued to be mired by a governmental dispute involving two prime ministers and their supporters. Protesters also have threatened to keep a key export terminal closed.
Bloomberg, Libya's biggest oil field stops producing as crisis deepens.
MORE: Algeria to allow French wheat imports due to Ukraine conflict - traders, Reuters... Biden's Middle East allies change tune on Ukraine war as conflict escalates, CNN... Crown prince: Saudi economy to grow around 7% in 2023, Asharq Al-Awsat... Saudi Arabia hopes to reach agreement with Iran over nuclear deal: Crown Prince, Business Today... Saudi's crown prince says being accused of Jamal Khashoggi's murder 'hurt his feelings,' Independent... Egypt may plant 2 million acres of wheat to compensate for Ukraine war, Al-Monitor.
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