After an absence of more than a year from American television, Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman faced the American public and the world through an interview Sunday on the CBS program "60 Minutes", which has high viewer ratings. This was the second time the Crown Prince appeared on this program, which the American network used to start the new television season. It was an ideal platform that was used by Crown Prince Muhammad to deliver clear and convincing messages to all concerned parties in the region and the world. The most dramatic moment in the interview was when the Crown Prince, when asked if he made mistakes, said: "Even prophets made mistakes. So how come we, as humans, expect not to make mistakes? The important thing is that we learn from these mistakes." Displaying management and leadership skills, Crown Prince Muhammad, when asked about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, said: "This was a heinous crime. But I take full responsibility as a leader." The conclusion in this regard is that investigations are ongoing today and trials are continuing, and those found guilty of involvement in that crime will be punished. And with high confidence, the Crown Prince showed that he was not afraid of any allegations against him, and replied: "If there is any such information that charges me, I hope it is brought forward publicly." One of the remarkable and essential answers that I have heard personally from the Crown Prince several times is: "There is no threat from any journalist. The threat to Saudi Arabia is from such actions against a Saudi journalist." Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman was optimistic about even the most complex political and domestic issues, saying: "Our future is much better than anything that happened in the past." Even on the war in Yemen, he said: "As a leader, I must always be optimistic every day. If I am a pessimist, I should leave my post and work somewhere else." "Some people look at the picture from a very narrow box..." that was a critical message to those who form an opinion on hearsay about Saudi Arabia without actually seeing the reality and meeting the people of the country. There is no doubt that the "60 Minutes" interview proves Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman's ability to make his points on the hot issues at home and abroad, while completely ignoring the Qatari matter as he sees it as "very, very insignificant," and denying all Iranian criminal practices, as well as the ramifications of the Yemeni conflict. Certainly, the CBS interview showed the Crown Prince's acceptance of criticism, his tolerance of questions no matter what, while being optimistic about his country's future, vision and the aspirations of its youth. These are qualities of great leaders who are working optimistically for the future of their country.
