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Kevin Sullivan
Senior Correspondent for National and International Affairs
October 24 at 11:54
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – In his most comprehensive public comments since the badbadination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul three weeks ago, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Wednesday that his country was doing everything in its power to carry out an investigation and bring those responsible to justice.
Mohammed described the badbadination as a "heinous crime" that was "really painful for all the Saudis" and for "every human being in the world".
Addressing more than 3,000 business leaders from around the world as part of the Future Investment Initiative, Saudi Arabia 's leading economic forum, it has accused unidentified critics of the future. try to use the case to "dig a gap" between Saudi Arabia and Turkey. He promised that this would not happen as long as his father would be king and that he would be the crown prince.
[Trump says Saudis engaged in ‘worst coverup ever’ as U.S. imposes penalties]
The badbadination of Khashoggi, the 33-year-old crown prince's critic, eclipsed the high-profile conference, which aimed to underline Muhammad's desire to modernize the kingdom's economy and diversify away from oil.
In the midst of widespread suspicions about the murderous role of Mohammed in the murderous operation, his remarks were eagerly awaited here and had attracted a large crowd in the main hall, a vast auditorium with vaulted doors adorned with the Saudi symbol of crossed swords and of a palm tree. The crown prince did not recognize any responsibility for Khashoggi's death.
Mahomet, the country's de facto leader, has been criticized for suppressing dissent and imprisoning dozens of activists, including women who have been campaigning for the right to drive, over the past year.
The rally in a wealthy Ritz-Carlton conference center was boycotted by dozens of sponsors and big-name executives. Nevertheless, executives from the Middle East, China, Russia, Europe and the United States came. Many have said that the economic and security ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia are too strong for Khashoggi's death to hinder it.
On Wednesday, speakers included Samir Assaf, Managing Director of HSBC Global Banking and Markets, and Eric Cantor, former US Majority Leader, who is currently Vice President and General Manager of New York-based investment bank Moelis. York. Bank chief executive Ken Moelis spoke at the conference on Tuesday.
Despite the violent reaction caused by Khashoggi's murder, Mohammed appeared on a panel with the leaders of Bahrain and Lebanon and sought to portray himself as the target of unknown and evil enemies.
"There is no doubt that cooperation between the Saudi and Turkish governments is unique today and that many are trying to use this painful thing to create a gap between Saudi Arabia and Turkey", he said in Arabic.
"I want to send them a message: they will not be able to do it as long as there will be a king named Salman bin Abdul Aziz and a Crown Prince named Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia and a President in Turkey called [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan. His references to his father and to himself were interrupted by applause in the room.
[Turkish police to search a well at consulate where Khashoggi was killed]
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who had resigned last year while on his way to Riyadh, was apparently immediately to his right. It is generally thought that he was arrested by the Saudis in the context of a wider conflict. Hariri then revoked his resignation and returned to Beirut.
This incident has been widely criticized as a sign of Muhammad's shameless will to abuse power. Yet, on Wednesday, he joked about it.
"Prime Minister Hariri will be in town for two more days. Please, do not start a rumor that we had kidnapped him, "said Mohammed, at a high level – and perhaps surprised – with laughter and applause from the crowd .
Saudi government officials have radically changed the official story of what happened to Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist. His remains are still missing and Turkish officials said Saudi agents had dismembered his body, horrible detail that added to horror and condemnation.
For more than two weeks after Khashoggi's disappearance while he was going to the consulate to obtain documents relating to his planned marriage, Saudi officials insisted that he had left the mission alive and that they had no information about where he was.
Then on Saturday morning, the Saudi government acknowledged in an official statement in the middle of the night that Khashoggi had been killed inside the consulate by Saudi agents during a "rogue" operation that had resulted in a deadly fight.
The Saudi version of the events calls into question far from the responsibility of Mohammed, who has consolidated a huge power since last year, when he was made heir to the throne occupied by his father, King Salman.
[After Khashoggi’s killing, Turkey’s leader seeks to weaken Saudi Arabia’s powerful crown prince]
Instead, the Saudis fired five people, including relatives close to Mohammed, and arrested 18 others.
The United States on Tuesday announced its first concrete step to penalize Saudi Arabia by canceling the visas of the agents involved in the killing. President Trump said he would "let Congress decide to take further action against the kingdom, the United States' key ally in the Middle East and a vast market for US arms manufacturers.
Many Saudis were shocked and disillusioned by the killing of Khashoggi, but few have been willing to say so publicly. Many said they feared being arrested.
But many other Saudis interviewed here this week said that they still remained behind Mohammed – or MBS, as he is known – because he had made some expected social and economic changes. Some said that they supported Muhammad because they wanted stability at the top of the royal family.
The crowd in Wednesday's auditorium was dominated by Saudis and foreigners who risk making millions of business deals with Saudis. They responded to the prince's remarks with 18 applause, including a long ovation.
He spoke of positive economic figures for exports, wages, unemployment, culture and entertainment spending – and participants scattered after almost all the statistics to applaud their leader.
He mentioned that $ 50 billion of agreements were reached on Tuesday the first day of the conference and that the crowd applauded. He complimented Dubai. Applause. Kuwait. Applause. Egypt. Applause. Jordan. Applause. He even made positive remarks against Qatar, Saudi Arabia's arch-rival, accused by many Saudi commentators of participating in the killing of Khashoggi. "Despite our differences," said Mohammed, to more applause.
His comments during the 50-minute discussion focused on making the Middle East a bigger player in the world. He said the Middle East was becoming "the new Europe" and predicted a "renaissance in the next 30 years" in the region.
Turning the Middle East into a leader in economic and social innovation, he said, appears to be a war.
"It's my war, which I personally launched," he said. "I do not want to leave this life without seeing the Middle East at the forefront of the world." For this, he received a sustained ovation.
[Mnuchin meets with crown prince despite outcry over journalist’s death]
Subsequently, most people approached by a Post reporter declined to comment.
A Saudi man started talking, but his leader later warned that company policy forbade talking to the media. But he let the young man comment without giving his name.
"It was incredible," he said. "It gives us so much confidence in all the good numbers that are happening. It gives you faith to come back to your office and work even harder.
Asked about the Prince's comments on Khashoggi, the man said he was happy that Mohammed had addressed the issue.
"As a human being, we reject everything that has happened," he said. "And we know that the government will do its best to solve it. Everyone is happy with what he said. "
Everyone is not in agreement.
"It remains to be believed," said a Saudi badyst who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals. "His charade is not well received by many."
Branigin reported from Washington.
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