Brett McGurk, US President Joe Biden's adviser on Middle East affairs, is expected to hold talks with a Palestinian delegation in Riyadh. AFP
Brett McGurk, US President Joe Biden's adviser on Middle East affairs, is expected to hold talks with a Palestinian delegation in Riyadh. AFP
Brett McGurk, US President Joe Biden's adviser on Middle East affairs, is expected to hold talks with a Palestinian delegation in Riyadh. AFP
Brett McGurk, US President Joe Biden's adviser on Middle East affairs, is expected to hold talks with a Palestinian delegation in Riyadh. AFP

Senior US delegation makes Saudi visit for a push on regional issues


Ismaeel Naar
  • English
  • Arabic

A delegation of senior US officials is in Saudi Arabia for a push on regional issues, including the war in Yemen, and a meeting with a Palestinian delegation, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.

President Joe Biden's adviser on Middle East affairs, Brett McGurk, is in Riyadh with Barbara Leaf, the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, and Tim Lenderking, Mr Biden's special envoy for Yemen, Mr Sullivan said on Tuesday.

“We are entering either our 17th or 18 month – 18th month of a truce – the longest period of peace in Yemen in years, which has been delivered in part through painstaking US diplomacy,” he said. “We not only want to keep that going, we want to deepen it and get to a permanent peace in Yemen. And that’s one of the main reasons that Brett is there.”

Mr Sullivan said the US officials would also meet a Palestinian delegation in the Saudi capital, after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday.

A Palestinian delegation led by Hussein Al Sheikh, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) executive committee, has arrived in Riyadh for talks with Saudi and American officials, a source told The National.

Mr McGurk will "speak to the Palestinians about the whole range of issues relative to the Israeli-Palestinian file", Mr Sullivan said.

Mr Blinken expressed concern about the ongoing violence in the West Bank during his conversation with Mr Abbas, the State Department said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah in January. EPA
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah in January. EPA

The Palestinian President's office said Mr Abbas told Mr Blinken that “what the Israeli occupation authorities and their forces and settlers who practise terrorism are doing contributes to undermining the two-state solution and destroys all chances of achieving peace”.

He also called for "building normal relations between the American administration and the State of Palestine, including reopening the American consulate in Jerusalem and an office for Palestine in Washington, and restoring the direct aid programme".

In September 2018, the US announced the closure of the PLO office in Washington DC after the Palestinian Authority’s attempt to open a criminal investigation against Israel before the International Criminal Court.

US special envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking in Riyadh in March last year. AFP
US special envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking in Riyadh in March last year. AFP

Mr Abbas also told Mr Blinken of the need for "the Israeli occupation authorities to stop all their aggressive practices and unilateral Israeli actions, adhere to the signed agreements, and move towards the political horizon", his office said.

Mr Sullivan played down the prospects of a deal to normalise ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel being reached during the US delegation’s visit to Riyadh.

“Normalisation will be one of the topics on the agenda, but it’s not the main thrust of this trip,” he said.

A source from the Saudi Foreign Ministry told The National that a meeting between the US delegation and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is yet to be confirmed. The Crown Prince and King Salman are in Neom, where they held a meeting of cabinet ministers late on Tuesday evening.

Mr Lenderking is back in the Gulf just two weeks after his last trip to the region, when he told The National that he was heartened by progress made in the Yemen peace process.

“Conversations regarding a new agreement are continuing, but ultimately we must get the Yemeni parties together to reach a solution on critical issues and help chart a brighter future for their country,” he said.

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Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

T20 World Cup Qualifier

October 18 – November 2

Opening fixtures

Friday, October 18

ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya

Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE

UAE squad

Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan

Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed

Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

Updated: September 06, 2023, 9:25 AM