US Secretary of State defends human rights in first call with Saudi counterpart

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken championed human rights and called for an end to the war in Yemen in his first phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, the State Department said Saturday.

During their call Friday, the two men “discussed regional security, counterterrorism, and cooperation to deter and defend against attacks” on the Saudi kingdom, department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

Blinken, affirmed that Saudi Arabia is an “important security partner” for his country, but stressed that Washington will elevate the human rights issue within the framework of relations with Riyadh.

The phone call comes after Biden announced Thursday he was ending US support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, where it has been involved since 2015 to shore up the government against the Iran-backed Huthi rebels.

Biden also said his administration would end all connected arms sales for ally Saudi Arabia in the war that has brought impoverished Yemen to its knees.

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Inas Abdulkareem