‘I reserve the right to change course,’ Lindsey Graham tells Al Arabiya during landmark Saudi visit

‘I reserve the right to change course,’ Lindsey Graham tells Al Arabiya during landmark Saudi visit

LONDON: US Senator Lindsey Graham said he “reserved the right to change course” on his opinion of Saudi Arabia following a visit to the Kingdom.

The Republican South Carolina senator arrived in Saudi Arabia last week for his trip, during which he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and “thanked” the Kingdom for its $37 billion purchase of Boeing 787 aircraft.

He told ABC’s “This Week” program on Sunday that he had altered his views on the Kingdom and the reforms happening in the country after his visit, having been a vocal critic after the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

Speaking to Al Arabiya’s Fatma Fahad, Graham said: “The world has changed, Saudi Arabia has taken a new path, 2018 still looms large, I’ll just be honest with you.”

He continued: “But, I see things happening here, that I didn’t think were possible, I thought it was all talk, so, I’m here to see it for myself.

“I’m going to go back home and tell my colleagues: ‘You need to go to Saudi Arabia and see what’s going on.’

“You bought $37 billion (worth) of aircraft made in my state and my country, I think more is coming, so as a United