Biden to travel to ‘pariah’ Saudi Arabia in July despite opposition at home

US President Joe Biden is planning to go ahead with his visit to Saudi Arabia next month despite many lawmakers advising him to cancel the trip.

A report in Reuters, citing a source familiar with the planning, said on Sunday that the White House was likely to announce the high-profile trip this week.

“We are working on a trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia for a PGCC+3 Summit,” a senior administration official was quoted as saying by NBC News.

“We are working to confirm dates. When we have something to announce, we will.”

On Sunday, Biden said he had “not yet” decided if he will travel to Saudi Arabia, amid opposition from Democratic Party legislators and human rights groups.

Biden earlier this month confirmed he was planning a trip to Riyadh in a startling volte-face that many have linked to Washington’s energy needs in the wake of sanctions on Russia’s energy sector.

Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia, a country he once vowed to make a “pariah”, has in recent weeks stirred up a hornet’s nest in the power corridors of the US, with many lawmakers advising him to call off the visit.

In an open letter on Thursday, a coalition of rights groups called on the US president not to go ahead with the trip in the absence of human rights commitments by Riyadh, warning it could encourage “further violations.”

“Efforts to repair the US relationship with the government of Saudi Arabia without a genuine commitment to prioritize human rights are not only a betrayal of your campaign promises but will likely embolden the crown prince to commit further violations of international human rights and humanitarian law,” reads the letter by 13 NGOs.

The oil-rich country’s leadership faces accusations of rampant human rights abuses, especially against religious minorities.

The country’s de-facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, also stands accused of ordering the brutal killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate in 2018.

The Chairman of the US House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, was quoted as saying last weekend that if he were Biden, he wouldn’t go to Saudi Arabia.