Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May
British Prime Minister Theresa May will hold a bilateral meeting with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G20 summit in Argentina, her spokesman confirmed on Friday.
May had told reporters on the flight to Buenos Aires on Thursday that she wanted to speak to the crown prince about the killing of Jamal Khashoggi and the situation in Yemen before the formal meeting between the pair was announced on Friday.
The meeting will take place at 2000 GMT.
The visit by the prince, the kingdom's de facto ruler, to the summit of industrialized nations is fraught with controversy over the killing of Saudi journalist Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.
The U.S. Congress will have a difficult time undermining the Trump administration's close ties with Saudi Arabia, despite a Senate vote this week to consider a resolution that would end support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.On Wednesday, 14 of President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans, who hold a slim majority in the Senate and rarely defy his wishes, joined Democrats to vote 63-37 to advance the measure, paving the way for a possible vote to pass it next week.The unusual result underscored lawmakers' frustration with what they see as the Trump administration's inadequate response to the murder of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate and the deepening humanitarian disaster in Yemen.Senators from both parties have been increasingly critical of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler who the CIA believes ordered the killing of his critic. Trump has stood by the prince.UK PM May says plans to speak to Saudi crown prince on Khashoggi, YemenBut the parties broke almost immediately over how to move ahead. Democrats demanded a vote on the resolution as it stands, while some Republicans who voted "yes" said they wanted it amended, or that it would prompt the White House to act."What I'd love to see happen is to have the administration address it," Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters on Thursday.The White House did not respond to a request for comment.Corker, one of the 14 Republican "yes" votes, said he was discussing a way ahead, including possible amendments, with Senate Republican leaders and Democrats.Republican senator to withhold vote until CIA briefs on KhashoggiAaron David Miller, a former State Department official who is now a scholar at the Wilson Center, said the Senate vote marked a "significant inflection point" in U.S.-Saudi relations. However, he added, "The problem is that you've got to maintain a certain degree of momentum. The House isn't going to vote on this."Even if the Senate passes the resolution, to become law it would have to also pass the House of Representatives, where Republicans hold a majority until January. Democrats said they had no indication that the House Republican leaders would allow a vote.Speaker Paul Ryan said at a Washington Post event on Thursday that he opposed the Senate measure. Republican leadership aides did not respond to requests for comment on whether they would allow a vote.If the resolution does not become law, Senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the foreign relations panel, said lawmakers could try to add legislation punishing Saudi Arabia to a spending bill that Congress must pass by Dec. 7 to avoid a federal government shutdown.‘Trump part of Khashoggi cover-up’But that would need bipartisan support to pass, and the spending bill already faces tough hurdles. Trump has threatened to allow a shutdown to force Congress to give him billions of dollars to build a wall on the border with Mexico.A Saudi resolution would likely pass the House when Democrats take control in January, after sweeping victories in November's mid-term elections. But Trump's Republicans will hold a larger majority in the new Senate, and many of his critics within the party, including Corker, will have retired.Other things could also influence Congress. If special counsel Robert Mueller issues his report on Trump, Republicans might be less likely to vote against the president. Or there could be advances in Yemen peace talks, a point that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stressed in his remarks to senators shortly before their vote defying the administration.
US Senate defied Trump on Saudi ties, but may falter in next steps
British Prime Minister Theresa May plans to raise the killing of Jamal Khashoggi and the situation in Yemen with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G20 summit in Argentina, she said on Thursday.The visit by the prince, the kingdom's de facto ruler, to the summit of industrialized nations is fraught with controversy over the killing of Saudi journalist Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.The killing of the Washington Post columnist, a critic of the crown prince, has strained Saudi Arabia’s ties with the West and battered Prince Mohammed’s image abroad. Saudi Arabia has said he had no prior knowledge of the murder.“I am intending to speak with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. The message that I give will be very clear ... on this issue of Jamal Khashoggi but also on the issue of Yemen,” she told reporters on the flight to Buenos Aires.“We want to see a full and transparent investigation in relation to what happened and obviously those responsible being held to account,” she said on Khashoggi's killing.Western nations are calling for an end to the Saudi-led military campaign in neighboring Yemen, which was launched by Prince Mohammed, as a humanitarian crisis there worsens."On the issue of Yemen, we continue to be deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation,” May said. “The long term solution for the Yemen is a political situation and we will be encouraging all parties actually to look for that and work for that.”Trump cancels G20 Putin meeting over UkraineSaudi crown prince meets India's Modi in Argentina
UK PM May says plans to speak to Saudi crown prince on Khashoggi, Yemen