According to reporting by Reuters, the US State Department is urging Canada and Saudi Arabia to resolve their current spat, though the US has so far not offered any assistance.
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“The U.S. State Department on Tuesday urged Canada and Saudi Arabia to use diplomacy to resolve their dispute over the arrest of activists in the Arab kingdom, State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, adding the department has raised the issue with the Saudis.
“Both sides need to diplomatically resolve this together. We can’t do it for them, they need to resolve it together,” Nauert said in a briefing. On Monday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir criticized Canada’s call for the country to free civil society activists that have been arrested. On Sunday, Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador to Canada, froze new trade and investment and expelled the Canadian ambassador.
The United States has spoken to the Arab state about human rights and other issues, Nauert said. Canada planned to seek help from United Arab Emirates and Britain, sources told Reuters. Asked why Washington had not sided with its northern neighbor in the dispute, Nauert said the United States had discussed the tensions with Saudi Arabia.
One well placed source said the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – which stresses the importance of human rights – planned to reach out to the United Arab Emirates. “The key is to work with allies and friends in the region to cool things down, which can happen quickly,” said the source, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation.
The United States, traditionally one of Canada’s most important friends, stayed on the sidelines. U.S. President Donald Trump – who criticized Trudeau after a Group of Seven summit in June – has forged tighter ties with Riyadh.”
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