By Neelam Rahim

Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed bin Salman told President Joe Biden that Saudi Arabia had acted to stop a repeat of mistakes just like the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi which the United States had also made, including in Iraq, a Saudi official said.

Biden said on Friday he told Prince Mohammed he held him answerable for the murder of the Washington Post journalist Khashoggi, shortly after exchanging a fist bump with the kingdom’s factual ruler.

“The kingdom has taken all measures to stop similar mistakes within the future,” the prince was quoted as telling Biden and further denied responsibility for the Khashoggi killing.

The prince reminded Biden that while the two countries share some values, there would always be conflicting matters that have got to be respected nonetheless.

“If we assume that the US will deal only with countries that share one hundred pc of its values and principles, then it’ll haven’t any countries that cater to it except NATO countries,” he said, adding the two countries must coexist despite their differences.

During a statement sent to Reuters about Friday’s conversation between the two leaders, a Saudi official said the prince said that trying to impose specific values by force on other countries could backfire.

Biden had promised to create the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a “pariah” worldwide over the 2018 murder of Khashoggi but ultimately decided US interests dictated improving relations with the world’s top oil exporter and Arab powerhouse.

“In the same year, similar regrettable incidents passed off and other journalists were killed in other parts round the world,” the prince said. “The US also made variety of mistakes just like the incident of Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and others.”

The prince added that the survivors of a complete family killed by a drone strike in Afghanistan in August 2021 remain looking ahead to justice.

He also mentioned the killing of the US journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, questioning the measures taken by her government and other countries.