Politics

Mohammed bin Salman's blockbuster interview with Fox shows Saudi Arabia's growing global role

The Saudi Crown Prince delivered a tour de force as he sought to consolidate his country’s position as one of the world’s most dynamic developing powers.

SPA

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman speaks with FOX News Channel, in an interview aired September 21, 2023, in Neom, Saudi Arabia.

Mohammed bin Salman's blockbuster interview with Fox shows Saudi Arabia's growing global role

Con Coughlin

last update on 21 Sep 2023

Nothing better illustrates the new self-assertive mood in Saudi Arabia than the wide-ranging interview given to Fox News by its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

From the vexed issue of normalising relations with Israel to the lingering controversy over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the Crown Prince showed no hesitation in confronting key issues affecting his country.

In his first interview with a major American news network since 2019, the Crown Prince delivered a tour de force as he sought to consolidate his country’s position as one of the world’s most dynamic developing powers.

Referring to the Kingdom’s mounting importance in world affairs, he told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier, "Saudi Arabia is so big, so I'm quite sure most any person in the world, directly or indirectly, you have something to do with Saudi Arabia."

By far, the most eye-catching comments to emerge from the interview were the Crown Prince’s articulation of his views on a series of key regional issues, such as the possibility of the Kingdom negotiating a normalisation in relations with Israel and the threat to regional security posed by Iran’s nuclear programme.

SPA — Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, speaks with FOX News Channel anchor, Bret Baier, in an interview aired September 21, 2023, in Neom, Saudi Arabia.

In his first interview with a major American news network since 2019, the Crown Prince delivered a tour de force as he sought to consolidate his country's position as one of the world's most dynamic developing powers.

'Every day we get closer'

Following the recent visit to Saudi Arabia made by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in the summer, negotiations between the Kingdom and the US are reported to be at an advanced stage on an agreement whereby Riyadh would normalise relations with Israel in exchange for a US defence pact and aid in developing its own civilian nuclear programme.

The Crown Prince confirmed that the negotiations were at an advanced stage, commenting "every day we get closer", and that so far there had been "good negotiations." He suggested that, if an agreement was reached, it would amount to "the biggest historical deal since the end of the Cold War."

But he also cautioned that an agreement could only be reached if progress was made on the Palestinian issue.

The treatment of the Palestinians, he said, remains "a very important issue" that needs to be resolved. "We got to see where we go," said the Crown Prince. "We hope that will reach a place, that it will ease the life of the Palestinians, get Israel as a player in the Middle East."

The Crown Prince's interview was conducted on the artificial island of Sindalah, built in the Red Sea, after Baier had spent a week in Saudi Arabia interviewing various members of the government and local business owners before his sitdown with the leader of the fast-growing G20 economy.

The interview aired shortly after US President Joe Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while both were in New York for the meeting of the UN General Assembly, where the two leaders were reported to have discussed the negotiations on reaching an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

AFP — US President Joe Biden shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they meet on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York City on September 20, 2023.

Asked about the difficulty of having to deal with a hard-line Israeli politician like Netanyahu, the Crown Prince replied, "If we have a breakthrough, reaching a deal that gives the Palestinians their needs and (making) the region calm, we've got to work with whoever's there."

The Crown Prince confirmed that negotiations whereby Riyadh would normalise relations with Israel in exchange for a US defence pact and aid in developing its own civilian nuclear programme were at an advanced stage, commenting, "every day we get closer".

Apart from addressing the current state of the normalisation negotiations, the Crown Prince issued arguably the most comprehensive public explanation of his country's stance on Iran's controversial nuclear programme, which Western intelligence claims is aimed at producing nuclear warheads.

Nuclear weapons

The Crown Prince made it abundantly clear that, if Iran succeeded in acquiring nuclear weapons, the kingdom would be obliged to follow suit and acquire its own nuclear arsenal.

"We are concerned of any country getting a nuclear weapon, that's a bad move," he warned, and said that if Iran were to get one, Saudi Arabia will seek to do the same: "We will have to get one."

But he also made clear his personal aversion to the nuclear arms race, warning that "the world can't see another Hiroshima…if the world sees 100,000 people dead, that means you are in a war with the rest of the world."

Deepening global role

The importance of Saudi Arabia's deepening role in major global issues was highlighted by his comments on the Ukraine conflict, where the Saudis are working to end the fighting, hosting peace talks in Jeddah last month attended by representatives from 40 countries.

SPA — Delegates from more than 40 countries including China, India, and the US, pose for a family picture as they attend talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, August 6, 2023, to make headway towards a peaceful end to Russia's war in Ukraine.

The Crown Prince made it abundantly clear that, if Iran succeeded in acquiring nuclear weapons, the kingdom would be obliged to follow suit and acquire its own nuclear arsenal.

"We have good relations with Russia and also good relations with Ukraine. We have amazing trade between both countries. We are trying our best to resolve their problem."

The interview, in which the Crown Prince also discussed the Kingdom's critical role as one of the world's leading energy supplies, as well as his ambitious Vision 2030 programme for developing the Saudi economy.

He made it clear his immediate ambition was to build on his ambitious programme to develop the Saudi economy, describing his country as "the greatest success story of the 21st century."

His confident performance in the Fox News interview should certainly help to lay the foundations for his upcoming visit to the UK, which is expected to take place next month, where the Crown Prince will be aiming to build on the success of his last visit in 2018, which helped to secure significant investment in his ambitious Vision 2030 programme.

As one British official commented on his appearance on Fox News, "The Crown Prince gave a polished performance and demonstrated that Saudi Arabia is not only a key player in world affairs but also an important ally for the UK."

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