KTFA: Samson: No invitations for American officials to participate in Davos in the desert… a sign of great disagreement
17th October, 2022
No invitations will be sent to US government officials to attend a Saudi investment conference called (Davos in the Desert) to be held at the end of this month, the director of the organizer said Monday, pointing to the unwillingness for the gathering to become a political platform.
The decision not to invite US officials, in contrast to previous years, comes with the escalation of tension between partners Washington and Riyadh over the recent decision of the Saudi-led OPEC Plus to reduce oil production by up to two million barrels per day, starting in November.
As many as 400 CEOs of US companies are expected to participate in this year’s edition, said Richard Attias, CEO of the non-profit organization that organizes the Future Investment Initiative, according to Agence France-Presse. The initiative, a three-day conference scheduled to begin October 25 in Riyadh, usually attracts Wall Street giants and high-ranking officials from around the world.
Steven Mnuchin, who served as Treasury Secretary under former US President Donald Trump, addressed the conference in its first edition in 2017, before announcing his withdrawal from participation the following year amid global outrage over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Last year’s edition was attended by Don Graves, Deputy Secretary of Commerce under current US President Joe Biden, and in response to a question about representing the United States this year, Atias said we did not invite any US government officials. “We don’t invite a lot of politicians…because I realized that when you have political leaders on the platform, the media attention, let’s be very frank, gets diverted to the political agenda, and we don’t want the FII to become a political platform,” he added.
Atias said earlier in a press conference that more than 12 ministers of economy and finance will attend this year’s edition. He also left the door open to the possibility of heads of state attending, saying: We will know in a few days who are the heads of state who are 100% sure to attend.
The Institute for the Future Investment Initiative headed by Attias is not officially associated with the Saudi government, but the annual conference in Riyadh is closely linked with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of the kingdom.
In recent days, Saudi Arabia rejected US accusations that it sided with Russia in the Ukraine war by reducing oil production to raise black gold prices, and insisted that the decision was purely economic.
In a written speech on Sunday evening, Saudi King Salman insisted that his country is working hard, within its energy strategy, to support the stability and balance of global oil markets. Atias said he did not expect the dispute between Riyadh and Washington to affect the conference this year.
No effect whatsoever, Attias said. On the contrary, we see more demand from the private sector in the United States to attend the Future Investment Initiative, adding that the organizers have started rejecting some applications due to the lack of vacancies. He added: We do not practice politics at all. He continued, “We have never been in politics since our inception in 2017 (but) if people want to talk about geopolitics during the debate they are free to do so. LINK
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TNT:
Chevy: TWEET FROM TONY: OFFICIALLY.. NEXT SATURDAY IS SET AS A DATE FOR VOTING ON THE SUDANESE GOVERNMENT THE STATE ADMINISTRATION COALITION HAS SET, NEXT SATURDAY, AN OFFICIAL DATE FOR VOTING ON THE NEXT GOVERNMENT. TNT Tony #wearethepeople 10/18/22, 7:05 AM
Golferiam: I may have missed it earlier, but what has the Sudan government got to do with anything?
Yada: This is the Sudani the Prime Minister’s government they are referencing.
Plansguy1: Can someone explain what this tweet has to do with the RV??
Yada: We already have the President voted and sworn in. Now the new PM, along with his cabinet, will be voted in on Saturday. Once done, the rate will be released by the CBI. imo
RVAlready: I think this is a done deal. If not done soon, the UN could take action as already discussed.
Alf: And they ain’t looking to go into a chapter #7 again or to lose control! !
SueMC: Personally, I hope that Sadr holds off for the 6 months that he said he would. However, for the people of Iraq I am sad that the same old people who have defrauded their country for years are getting into office again. We can only hope that Sudani does a fraction of what he said he would do in his speech.
RoraH: suemc…I agree with you 100%…with the caveat that the RV happens within those 6 months..er…6 weeks…or maybe even 6 days!!!
Yada: 6 days,,,
RVAlready: Yada, yep
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