US hails PM on G20, but cites his case for immunity to Saudi Prince

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New Delhi, November 19

Even as the White House today appreciated India’s role in negotiating the G20 Summit’s declaration in Bali, the US State Department, while explaining the immunity granted to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, pointed out that PM Narendra Modi was given the same kind of protection from prosecution in the US in 2014.

Salman was granted immunity after he was appointed PM of Saudi Arabia. “India played an essential role in negotiating the summit’s declaration. Prime Minister Modi made clear today’s era must not be of war,’’ White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told the media in Washington. “Among other priorities addressed, we have a path forward to addressing current food and energy security challenges while continuing our efforts to build a resilient global economy. PM Modi’s relationship was critical to this outcome, and we look forward to supporting India’s G20 presidency next year. We look forward to that next meeting,’’ Jean-Pierre added.

At another briefing, asked about the US immunity granted to the Saudi Crown Prince, US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said this was not the first time that the US had done so. “It is a long-standing and consistent line of effort. It has been applied to a number of heads of state previously. Some examples: President Aristide in Haiti in 1993, President Mugabe in Zimbabwe in 2001, PM Modi in India in 2014 and President Kabila in the DRC in 2018. This is a consistent practice that we have afforded to heads of state, heads of government and foreign ministers,’’ he said.

The US had placed a visa ban on Modi over charges of inaction by his government during the Gujarat riots. Though the UK and the EU had ended their boycott earlier, the US did not do so till he was elected PM in 2014.