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US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said Saturday (October 27th) that incidents such as the assassination of a Saudi journalist were jeopardizing the stability of the Middle East and that the United States would take measures additional to those responsible.
The assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi national and a Washington Post editorialist, provoked outrage from Western allies in Riyadh and led to a crisis for Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter and Western strategic ally .
Saudi Arabia is the backbone of a US-backed regional group against Iran's growing influence in the Middle East, but the Khashoggi crisis has severely strained relations between Riyadh and the West .
US President Donald Trump said he wants to get to the bottom of things, while highlighting Riyadh's role as an ally against Iran and Islamist militants, as well as as a major buyer of US arms.
"Keeping in mind our collective interests of peace and the unfailing respect for human rights, the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi in a diplomatic establishment must concern us all," said Mattis during the meeting. the annual Manama Dialogue Security Conference in Bahrain.
"A country's non-compliance with international standards and the rule of law undermines regional stability at a time when it is needed most," said Mattis. He never mentioned his de facto Saudi Arabian ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The Saudi prosecutor said Khashoggi 's murder was premeditated, which contradicts an earlier official statement that it was accidentally caught during a brawl at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul.
Saudi officials also said he was killed by accident as part of a botched security operation aimed at sending him back to the kingdom.
In his remarks, Mattis went through a long list of what he described as disruptive Iranian behavior – a message that most Gulf allies will see positively to the extent that they share the same concerns regarding the 39, Iran's growing influence in Syria and Iraq.
Although these are some of the harshest comments about Khashoggi's death, Mattis said the incident would not diminish ties with Saudi Arabia.
"It is hard to imagine that this administration, in particular, will fundamentally change its perception of the Saudis' role in the fight against terrorism, in terms of fighting against Iran," said Dennis Ross, Supreme Advisor to the President in the Middle East. Barack Obama in his first term.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced this week that action would be taken against the 21 Saudis either to revoke their visa or to make him ineligible for a US visa after the murder of Khashoggi.
"Our Secretary of State has already canceled visas and will take further action as the situation becomes clearer," said Mattis.
ALLIANCES
Mattis warned that Russia's presence in the Middle East – where she is a major ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad – could not replace the United States.
"Russia's presence in the region can not replace the long-standing, long-term and transparent commitment by the United States to the Middle East – a commitment I unreservedly repeat today." said Mattis.
He said it was important to end a 16-month-old dispute between Qatar and four Arab countries which, according to analysts, would have weakened regional coordination against Iran.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt ended trade relations and travel with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of supporting their rival, Iran , and support terrorism. Qatar denies the charges.
"Resolving internal debates between our GCC partners is vital to achieving this vision, without which we would weaken our security," he said, referring to the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
Mattis was also questioned about Trump's decision to transfer the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May.
Mattis said the embassy's decision was not intended to slow the peace process and had no impact on the US's commitment to "bring the Palestinian people home for a better time." to come up".
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