Saudi crown prince comes out of the cold at G20
Mohammed bin Salman escapes diplomatic isolation over the Khashoggi murder
He received a minor rebuke from Emmanuel Macron but a big friendly handshake from Vladimir Putin. He secured bilateral meetings with Theresa May and Narendra Modi.
Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince accused of a key role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October, was all smiles at the opening of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, as his bet that he could escape diplomatic isolation and even enjoy some sort of international rehabilitation appeared to pay off.
Prince Mohammed was the most contentious guest of President Mauricio Macri of Argentina at the gathering of world leaders. There has been widespread outrage at the assassination of a critic of the Saudi regime and Riyadh’s attempts to cover up the murder, which was carried out by a hit squad in its consulate in Turkey. But at the G20, the heads of the most powerful countries seemed to be adjusting to the reality that Prince Mohammed still enjoys strong support from his father, the king, as well as regional allies.
Mr Putin, the Russian president, has been among his biggest supporters all along. As he sat next to Prince Mohammed around the main table of the summit, he gave the Saudi leader a generous handshake as the two men enjoyed a lengthy chuckle. The crown prince then patted Mr Putin’s hand three times.
A friendly welcome from Mr Putin might have been expected, but the engagement from some EU leaders was more surprising. Mr Macron, the French president, briefly cornered Prince Mohammed as the summit was set to begin to deliver what the Elysée described as a “very firm” message: that Saudi Arabia should accept international experts in the probe of Khashoggi’s murder.
But a video clip of the exchange showed a testy but not entirely hostile conversation. The crown prince is heard trying to reassure Mr Macron, saying: “Don’t worry.” The French president replied: “I do worry. I am worried.”
Mr Macron then complained, “You never listen to me”, to which Prince Mohammed answered, “No, I will listen of course.”
In advance of the G20, the crown prince had already received a boost from President Donald Trump, who had issued a statement extolling the importance of America’s relationship with Saudi Arabia and suggesting there was still doubt over Prince Mohammed’s involvement in the murder of Khashoggi. But there was no bilateral meeting scheduled between Mr Trump and the crown prince.
A senior White House official said Mr Trump and the crown prince “exchanged pleasantries” at the leaders session.
Prince Mohammed did, however, set up formal encounters with both Mr Modi, the Indian prime minister, and Mrs May. The British prime minister promised to be “robust” on both Khashoggi and the Saudi-led war in Yemen, which has created a huge humanitarian crisis, and not to talk to the prince about trade opportunities, a usual UK priority in the context of Brexit.
UN-backed talks on the Yemeni conflict are due to take place next week. “We believe that now is the time, there is an opportunity to find a solution,” Mrs May told Sky News, before the meeting. An official UK summary of the meeting said she had “urged concrete Saudi support for UN special envoy Martin Griffiths and for progress at the upcoming Stockholm talks”.
Prince Mohammed’s reception contrasts with that of Mr Putin himself, whose meeting with Mr Trump was cancelled after Russian forces fired on Ukrainian ships. Mrs May has also refused to meet Mr Putin following the Salisbury chemical attack this year.
In the official “family” picture of the G20 Prince Mohammed had towered behind Brazil's outgoing president, Michel Temer, while some of his mandarins were roving around cheerfully at the convention centre on the banks of the River Plate. His arrival in Argentina had been overshadowed by a complaint by Human Rights Watch, the non-governmental organisation, which asked an Argentine federal prosecutor to take his alleged involvement in war crimes and torture. But Argentine officials were quick to point out that it would need to go to the Supreme Court and he enjoyed diplomatic immunity, which Human Rights Watch disputes.
Meanwhile, in a plush area of Buenos Aires, a lone protester stood outside the closely guarded Saudi embassy facing local security forces. The man, who identified himself as “Jamal” in honour of Khashoggi, felt it was “ironic” that the embassy was fenced to protect Saudi officials when “the real murderers” were staying inside.
“The world presidents participating in this conference have turned a blind eye to what happened,” the man said.