[ad_1]
International pressure on Saudi Arabia is increasing: US President Donald Trump increasingly presumes that the missing Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing for more than two weeks, has died. "It certainly sounds like this to me," Trump told a similar question asked by reporters on Thursday. The reaction must be "very strict". Meanwhile, three European ministers and the US Treasury Secretary have canceled their participation in an investor conference in Saudi Arabia.
"It's very sad," Trump said before leaving for an election campaign participation in the US state of Montana. Trump had already expressed Saturday his pessimism about the fate of journalists who have disappeared since his visit to the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on 2 October. On the journalist's question about possible sanctions against Riyadh, the US president said on Thursday that the reaction should be "very strict". The case is a "bad, bad thing".
"It looks like this": US President Donald Trump in Khashoggi. (Video: Youtube / Washington Post)
Until now, the US president has left it to the Saudi leadership to investigate the case, even if the powerful Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman is suspected of ordering the case. assassination of the critical journalist with regard to the government.
"We should give them time"
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday after returning from visits to Riyadh and Ankara, Saudi leaders promised him "a thorough and thorough investigation." So he told Trump that "we should give them a few more days to complete this."
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said after a meeting with Trump and Pompeo that he "would not participate in the Saudi Arabian Future Investment Initiative summit". The French Minister of Economy, Bruno Le Maire, also announced that he would not go to Riyadh because the disappearance of Khashoggi was a "very serious" affair.
Its president, Emmanuel Macron, said that France would "make certain political visits to Saudi Arabia" until the disappearance of Khashoggi is clarified. In addition, the Elysee Palace announced a quick Macron conversation with Saudi King Salman.
Many cancellations
UK Trade Minister Liam Fox also said "it is not the right time" to travel to Riyadh. The Netherlands has also denied the participation of Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra and a trade mission scheduled for December.
Leaders of several large US companies had canceled their participation in the Future Investment Initiative next week in Riyadh.
Röttgen pointed out that Joe Kaeser, CEO of Siemens, "not yet canceled". "The federal government needs to clarify its position," asked the chairman of the foreign affairs committee.
Khashoggi's case is extremely delicate for Trump, who is working closely with Riyadh to crack down on Iran and resolve the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Saudi Arabia is also a massive buyer of American defense equipment.
Four human rights and press freedom organizations on Thursday called on Turkey to call for a UN investigation into the case. Such an investigation will finally illuminate the case.
(Chk / afp)
Source link
