Answer to a Question
Question: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman concluded his visit to France, which began on Monday, 09/04/2018, and lasted for two days until 10/04/2018. Before that, he visited Britain starting from 07/03/2018 for three days, followed by a visit to America from 20/03/2018 to 08/04/2018. He was received with the reception of a head of state. What is happening behind these visits? It is striking that these visits were to parties with different interests; what is the common factor between them? We hope for a clarification of the matter, and may Allah reward you with goodness.
Answer: The intended visit is his visit to the United States of America. As for his visit to Britain, it was a visit of appeasement because he took impactful actions against its agents in Saudi Arabia. His visit to France was a marginal visit to create an atmosphere of fame for Bin Salman, on the basis that he visited the major powers in America and Europe. Here is the clarification:
First: Mohammed bin Salman's Visit to Britain:
Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Britain began on 07/03/2018 and lasted three days until 10/03/2018. As we mentioned at the beginning, it was a visit of appeasement to Britain because Mohammed bin Salman realizes that the English have strong roots within the royal family, and Britain is capable of causing trouble for Bin Salman. Therefore, he visited Britain to create an atmosphere of calm by offering some economic incentives, albeit limited and not overly abundant.
This is confirmed by what appeared in the final statement, which was closer to ordinary visits and standard agreements with general, non-specific language, except for some economic incentives. For example, the final statement included:
A. Some general matters common in routine final statements:
- The United Kingdom affirms its strong support for Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's program for economic and social reform aimed at diversifying the economy. Prince Mohammed bin Salman and British Prime Minister Theresa May launched the annual Strategic Partnership Council on Wednesday to be a major mechanism for regular dialogue to enhance all aspects of the bilateral relationship. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia praises the expertise and experience of the United Kingdom in various education sectors, from kindergarten, primary, and secondary education to higher education and excellence in vocational training skills. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recognizes the extent of British expertise in healthcare. The United Kingdom praised the importance of the successful listing of Saudi Aramco as part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's economic reform plan. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia supported London's status as a major global financial center. The London Stock Exchange Group agreed with the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) on a program of capacity-building measures and training to help develop the stock markets. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom stressed the importance of the defense and security relationship and its role in achieving shared national security and regional stability. The two countries announced their intention to focus efforts to combat terrorism and extremism through information sharing and understanding the methods used by terrorists and extremists to influence vulnerable groups. The two governments signed a number of memorandums of understanding to deepen cooperation and partnership. This also includes signing a memorandum of intent regarding the desire of both sides to complete discussions to reach an agreement for the Kingdom to acquire 48 additional Typhoon aircraft. Both countries stressed the need for Iran to commit to the principles of good neighborliness in the region and non-interference in the internal affairs of states.
B. Some political and security matters that are general and not focused or specific to a detailed resolution of issues:
- The two countries stressed the importance of reaching a political solution to the crisis in Yemen based on the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative, its implementation mechanisms, the outcomes of the Yemeni National Dialogue, and Security Council Resolution 2216, which will lead to a political solution ensuring Yemen's security and territorial integrity. Both parties expressed their strong support for the newly appointed UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths. They agreed on the importance of the international community pressing the Houthi militia to allow unhindered humanitarian access. The United Kingdom welcomed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that the coalition's military campaign is conducted in accordance with international humanitarian law. The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to the two-state solution based on the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant UN resolutions.
C. Some economic matters intended for appeasement as a result of Bin Salman’s measures against the men of the English:
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom are committed to a long-term partnership to support the achievement of Vision 2030, covering a range of areas including: assessing mutual opportunities and investments with (and through) the United Kingdom by the Public Investment Fund, and bilateral trade between the two countries. These combined opportunities are expected to reach up to $100 billion over 10 years, within which the Public Investment Fund targets direct investments aimed at reaching $30 billion.
The United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomed a large number of major commercial deals agreed upon during this visit, expected to exceed $2 billion, creating and securing jobs and prosperity in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.
It is clear from all this that the visit's primary purpose did not exceed appeasement and calming tensions; most of it was general talk, except for some economic promises, which were limited and not of significant or influential scale.
Second: Mohammed bin Salman's Visit to the United States of America:
Anyone following Bin Salman’s visits to America sees that America is shaping Bin Salman before its very eyes as an obedient slave. It insults him to his face and he smiles; it extorts him and he surrenders. To clarify:
As soon as Salman took power after the death of his brother Abdullah on 23/01/2015, he began rapid measures to consolidate his rule and those who would follow him. He removed his brother Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, who was considered aligned with the English, from the position of Crown Prince and appointed his son Mohammed bin Salman as Deputy Crown Prince. He handed him numerous powers to strengthen his authority and removed many family members who were competitors or loyal to the English, showing intense loyalty to America. The second step was for the Americans to verify Bin Salman and his capabilities, to know him well and the extent of his loyalty. He visited Washington on 15/03/2017 after Trump was officially inaugurated as President, and Trump received him at the highest level in the White House in the presence of Vice President Pence and his National Security Advisor, raising his profile. Trump showed his support for Bin Salman. Another step came on 04/11/2017 to consolidate Bin Salman’s authority by clipping the wings of the agents of the English and others, subjecting everyone to his control, humiliating them, and extorting them by freezing their accounts when he detained hundreds of princes, ministers, officials, and businessmen under the guise of fighting corruption, announcing that he had collected $100 billion from them. Now comes the penultimate step with his second visit to Washington to reinforce his loyalty to America and strengthen his ties with it, preparing for the final step of crowning him king in an actual sense at a time they expect soon. Bin Salman began foreign visits where he was received like a king, as happened in his visit to Egypt on 04/03/2018 and his visit to Britain on 07/03/2018, where he was received by the Queen. The reception and the long recent visit to America confirm this. In fact, Trump alluded to this matter, saying to Bin Salman: "Some great things have happened since your last visit to the White House. You were the Crown Prince, and now you are more than the Crown Prince." (Sputnik Russian, 21/03/2018).
Thus, as soon as Bin Salman landed in Washington, he met with President Trump on 20/03/2018, who stated: "It is an honor to host the Saudi Crown Prince. We share a strong friendship and a very strong relationship... I met you last May during my visit to Saudi Arabia when Saudi Arabia promised us $400 billion, and likely this relationship will strengthen through large investments." He continued: "Saudi Arabia is a very wealthy country, and they are going to give us some of that wealth, hopefully, in the form of jobs and the purchase of equipment." Bin Salman replied: "The pillars of friendship between the two countries are strong... and the relations include security and economic aspects. We are working on a $200 billion investment plan between the two countries, which could reach $400 billion." (CNN, 20/03/2018). America extorts Saudi Arabia and plunders the wealth of Muslims through rulers who have betrayed the trust and deceived the Ummah. What matters to Trump and the Americans is siphoning off the money of Muslims through the House of Saud, who declare their loyalty to the Kuffar and their alliance with them, serving them by protecting their influence in the Middle East, funding their economy, and paying all the costs of defending that influence.
Trump displayed boards before the cameras and placed them on Bin Salman's chest, containing drawings and pictures of weapons Saudi Arabia would buy from America to be delivered soon. He listed the deals and types of weapons and their value in billions, saying to him: "That's peanuts for you." Trump said: "These deals will provide new jobs (in America) expected to reach 40,000 jobs." (Sputnik Russian, 21/03/2018). It was as if the only thing left was for Trump to put a rope on the boards and hang them around Bin Salman’s neck, as if sending him a message: our support for you is based on the extent of the massive amounts of money you give us, making the land permissible for us, and implementing everything we command without the slightest objection. This behavior was an insult to Bin Salman, which he met with a smile like a fool, while Trump acted insolently and without regard for him.
During his visit, he met with many officials in the administration and other important sectors:
A. He met with US Defense Secretary Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dunford, affirming his loyalty to America by saying: "The challenges today are not the first the two countries have faced. Today we face a serious challenge in the region and the world, whether from the actions of the Iranian regime... or the challenges posed by terrorist organizations." (Al-Wiam Saudi, 24/03/2018). US Defense Secretary Mattis told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman: "We must also urgently revive efforts to seek a peaceful resolution to the civil war in Yemen, and we support you in this regard." He told reporters: "We seek to end the war, that is the ultimate goal, and we will end it on positive terms for the people of Yemen and also with security for the Peninsula countries." (Reuters, 22/03/2018). The issue of Yemen is one where America has not yet achieved its final goals, and Saudi Arabia, which undertook the task to achieve America's goals, is still in a predicament it has not been able to exit. Ending this issue and Saudi Arabia exiting it safely would strengthen Bin Salman’s authority.
B. He met with several newspapers and made statements showing his strong connection to America:
Bin Salman made statements to the American Time magazine on 31/03/2018, in which he said: "We believe that American forces should stay for at least the medium term, if not the long term... The American presence in Syria is the only way to stop the expansion of Iranian influence in the region with the help of its allies. Also, the presence of American forces inside Syria will enable Washington to have a say in the future of Syria... He said: 'Bashar is staying, but I believe it is in Bashar's interest not to let the Iranians do whatever they want.'" President Trump countered with the following statements on 03/04/2018: "I want to get our troops back home. I want to start rebuilding our nation. Our primary mission in this regard is to get rid of ISIS; we have almost completed this mission. We will make a decision very quickly. We will consult with allies, and I suggest that Saudi Arabia pay the bill for the American forces in Syria. Saudi Arabia is very interested in our decision. And I said, well, as you know, if you want us to stay, maybe you’ll have to pay." (Agence France-Presse, 03/04/2018). Thus, Trump continues the policy of extortion against the House of Saud regime, which is keen on maintaining American influence in the region.
He also gave statements to the American Atlantic magazine on 02/04/2018. When asked: "Do you believe the Jewish people have a right to a nation-state in at least part of their ancestral homeland?" he said: "I believe generally that every people, anywhere, has a right to live in their peaceful country. I believe the Palestinians and the (Israelis) have the right to have their own land..." (Al-Wiam Saudi page, 03/04/2018).
Bin Salman did not hide his betrayal, even regarding the Blessed Land, the land of the Isra’ and Mi’raj...
Under the name of entertainment, he set a huge budget. The Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia, Ahmed bin Aqeel al-Khatib, announced "the authority's intention to invest up to 240 billion riyals, equivalent to $64 billion, in the entertainment sector over the next ten years." He announced the start of building an opera house, the first since the founding of the Kingdom (Al Arabiya Saudi page, 22/02/2018).
On the fourth and final day of his visit to Washington and his meeting with officials there on 24/03/2018, the Washington Post conducted an interview with Bin Salman in which he mentioned: "That the meeting discussed the war in Yemen, the peace process in the Middle East, Iran, the internal reform process, human rights, and Saudi nuclear plans and aspirations... He mentioned that his primary mission in America is to win the trust of American investors along with obtaining technological and educational assistance to support reform efforts in Saudi Arabia. He mentioned to the newspaper regarding granting women many rights... This means that all the region's files were opened before him and studied with him so that he would be aware of how to implement them and hasten to support and execute them with the Americans. Besides the Yemen issue, there is Trump's plan in the Middle East and the solution to the Palestine issue, where he announced he would declare a plan in the coming months after recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish entity on 06/12/2017, and the issue of taking Iran as an enemy instead of the Jewish entity with which peace will be made, as well as Saudi domestic policy and what America wants in terms of changes to secularize the country and spread Western civilization and values, alongside giving American investors opportunities to completely control the country's economy."
The Arabi21 website on 29/03/2018 quoted the British Independent newspaper, which stated that it had seen Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s schedule, which included meetings with CEOs of major companies, politicians, oilmen, and workers in technology, entertainment, and art, seemingly aimed at building ties with American public opinion... CBS conducted an interview with him on the "60 Minutes" program, the first interview the station has conducted with a Saudi leader in decades, and he used the occasion to enhance his image as a bold young reformer making necessary reforms... such as limiting the power of the religious police and allowing women to drive..." The newspaper mentioned that he met with former officials on Tuesday (27/03/2018) like Kissinger, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and others, and with owners of many large newspapers, and would meet former President Obama, his former Secretary of State John Kerry, and David Petraeus...
Increasing in submission and submissiveness, as Bin Salman left America for France, he sent a message overflowing with loyalty to Trump's America, saying: (Your Excellency, President Donald Trump, President of the United States of America, greetings: It gives me pleasure as I leave your friendly country to extend to Your Excellency my deep thanks and gratitude for the warm reception and generous hospitality I and the accompanying delegation received. I take this opportunity to once again praise the historical and strategic relations between our two countries, which are witnessing further development in all fields. I also must emphasize that the discussions held during the visit will contribute to deepening and strengthening these relations and enhancing the bonds of joint cooperation... wishing Your Excellency abundant health and happiness, and the friendly people of the United States continued progress and prosperity.)
We conclude regarding this visit by repeating what we said at the beginning: anyone following Bin Salman’s visits to America sees that America is shaping Bin Salman before its very eyes as an obedient slave. It insults him to his face and he smiles; it extorts him and he surrenders.
Third: Mohammed bin Salman's Visit to France:
- Bin Salman's visit to France was a passing visit on the margins to create an atmosphere of fame for Bin Salman—that he visited the West, from Britain to America and then the European Union (France). Due to the lack of importance of this visit, it even lacked diplomatic routine in international visits. For example: (On another note, an official in the French Prime Minister’s office said that the Saudi Crown Prince canceled today, Monday, a visit to a large complex for tech startups in Paris, which was aimed at highlighting the depth of French-Saudi relations in technology. La Tribune explained that the cancellation of Prince Mohammed’s visit to the "Station F" complex is likely to cause frustration for Macron, especially since he visited tech giants in Silicon Valley in the United States last week.) Bin Salman had set a condition for visiting this complex that provoked Macron... The Alam al-Arabi website reported on 09/04/2018, citing (© REUTERS/ POOL):
(The French newspaper La Tribune revealed that Saudi Crown Prince Bin Salman provoked French President Emmanuel Macron by setting a condition for French companies to benefit from commercial contracts with the Kingdom. The newspaper stated that "Bin Salman clarified to Macron that French companies, like American groups, can benefit from contracts with the Kingdom, provided they do not trade with Iran," adding that this condition provoked Macron...).
Furthermore, the "strategic partnership" that was boasted about was not signed; rather, the signing was postponed for eight months until the end of 2018. It is well known that changes in international politics are rapid, and therefore promises to sign agreements or finalized contracts are often not fulfilled, especially if the deadlines are long. Sources close to the French presidency told reporters that Macron and Mohammed bin Salman "will work on preparing a strategic document that will be ready by the end of the year, resulting in contracts for which (Macron) will go to Saudi Arabia at the end of the year to sign." (Source: Al-Bayan, 10/04/2018). Similarly, Al Arabiya Net published on Monday 09/04/2018: "The President and the Prince will work on a strategic document that will be ready before the end of the year, resulting in contracts Macron will go to sign in Saudi Arabia before the end of the year." France 24 reported the same news on 09/04/2018.
Not only that, but what the French President announced was within the realm of hope and under the category of protocols that require negotiation and consultation to become binding contracts:
The French presidency announced: "We hope for new cooperation, focused less on immediate contracts and more on investments for the future, particularly in the digital field and renewable energy." (AFP, 05/04/2018).
(Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to France is expected to be crowned by the signing of about 12 protocols of agreement in several fields, such as tourism, where Paris will help Riyadh highlight the site of Al-Hijr (Madain Salih), listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list and located in the northwest of the Kingdom, as well as other areas such as health, energy, transport, etc.) (AFP, 08/04/2018).
Likewise, no economic contracts of significance were signed during the visit, especially since the visit was short (two days), which caused embarrassment for the Élysée Palace. Therefore, in a statement responding to a question about the Saudi Prince’s brief visit to France after a three-week visit to the United States, it said: (The Élysée welcomed the inclusion of France among the first foreign visits of the Saudi Crown Prince... France 24 / AFP, 05/04/2018). The lack of signing contracts caused embarrassment for the Élysée: (On the other hand, a French diplomatic source confirmed to France 24 that France "is not chasing after commercial contracts with Saudi Arabia as was the case in the past, but seeks to build a partnership with aligned visions based on long-term economic and technological development.") (AFP, 08/04/2018).
Despite all this and that, to be fair to that visit, there was an agreement actually concluded, an agreement that appealed to Bin Salman’s desires, where an agreement was signed to establish a national orchestra and an opera house—and where? In the land of the Two Holy Mosques!! French Culture Minister Françoise Nyssen announced that Paris would help Riyadh establish an orchestra and an opera house. Nyssen said after signing agreements with the Minister of Culture and Information Awwad al-Awwad in Paris: "Today an agreement was signed with the Paris Opera to help Saudi Arabia establish a national orchestra and an opera house." (Alam al-Arabi website, 09/04/2018, citing © REUTERS/ POOL).
Bin Salman had paved the way for this agreement by making a private visit on Sunday before his official visit, attending a musical concert to conclude the Easter Festival in southern France: (Prince Bin Salman arrived on Sunday 08/04/2018, coming from the United States, and attended a musical concert to conclude the Easter Festival in the city of Aix-en-Provence near Marseille in the south of the country, where he enjoyed listening to classical music by composers Debussy, Robert Schumann, and Felix Mendelssohn) AFP, 08/04/2018...
- Thus, the visit was not significant in terms of agreements or contracts, unless the opera house is considered a matter of significance—and we seek refuge with Allah! This matter was clear in the closing press conference held Tuesday evening, 10/04/2018, and published in the media on 11/04/2018. It mentioned that what was agreed upon were protocols and letters of intent, except for the opera house, which was actually signed! Al Jazeera Net published today 11/04/2018: (Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman concluded a two-day visit to France today, Tuesday, by signing 19 protocols of agreement between French and Saudi companies with a total value exceeding $18 billion... The letters of intent relate to industrial sectors such as petrochemicals and water treatment, and also include tourism, culture, health, and agriculture... Among the most prominent agreements was what the Saudi oil company Aramco announced regarding its signing of agreements worth more than $12 billion with French companies, including Total, Technip, and Suez, for the joint development of a petrochemical site in Jubail (eastern Saudi Arabia), where the French group owns its largest refinery in the world). Even these agreements with Aramco are not limited to developing Aramco’s business as much as they are limited to developing the financial income of the French refinery.
Similar reports appeared in AFP dated 11/04/2018 regarding the press conference: (At the end of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to France on Tuesday, the two countries signed 19 protocols of agreement between French and Saudi companies with a total value exceeding $18 billion. These letters of intent relate to industrial sectors such as petrochemicals and water treatment, and also include tourism, culture, health, and agriculture, according to a statement issued by the French-Saudi Business Forum, which includes employers and government representatives).
Then Macron and Bin Salman mentioned routine issues in the press conference, such as the subject of Iran, the nuclear deal, Syria, Yemen... etc., without putting their fingers on the real solution to these issues!
Fourth: Conclusion:
Thus, we repeat what we said: The intended visit is his visit to the United States of America. As for his visit to Britain, it was a visit of appeasement because he took impactful actions against its agents in Saudi Arabia. His visit to France was a marginal visit to create an atmosphere of fame for Bin Salman, on the basis that he visited the major powers in America and Europe.
On the 24th of Rajab 1439 AH
11/04/2018 CE