[ad_1]
President Trump said Monday that he was "concerned" about the disappearance of columnist and critic of the Saudi government Jamal Khashoggi, although US officials have not publicly asked for answers to the ally of Saudi Arabia.
The president was questioned about the case while he was returning to the White House after a speech in Florida.
"I'm worried about it," Trump said. "I do not like hearing about it. Hope this will work out. Right now, nobody knows, but there are some really bad stories going around. I do not like that. "
Khashoggi, who disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October. Turkish officials claimed to believe that Khashoggi, a contributor to the Washington Post, was killed shortly after arriving at the consulate to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. Turkish authorities have not officially claimed that Khashoggi was dead, but Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday that the case was "very, very upsetting" and that he "was pursuing" the answers .
The White House and the State Department did not respond to requests for comments on Monday. Saudi Arabia denied hitting Khashoggi.
But according to two officials, senior administration officials have asked Riyadh to clarify where Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen living in the United States in exile, was. His writings have often criticized the Saudi government and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom Trump praised as a reformer and visionary.
Members of the Turkish-Arab Media Association hold up posters with photos of the missing Saudi writer, Jamal Khashoggi, as they protest in front of the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul on Monday. . Khashoggi, 59, disappeared on Oct. 2 while on his way to the consulate. (Lefteris Pitarakis / AP)
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to discuss the case on file.
[[[[The disappearance of a journalist could complicate US-Saudi relations]
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted Monday, on his weekend trip to North Korea and Asian capitals, and congratulated his State Department team for "his hard work advancing on some of the most urgent issues in the world".
Pompeo did not speak publicly about Khashoggi. He was questioned about the case on the occasion of a roundtable Monday in Seoul with the small group of journalists who accompanied him from Washington, but his spokesman went on interposed to say that he would approach the issue informally. The transcript of the State Department session omitted this exchange.
Khashoggi was not mentioned in a reading by the State Department of a call made on October 3 between Pompeo and the Crown Prince. At that time, Khashoggi had been reported missing by his Turkish fiancée, who had claimed to have seen him enter the consulate but never get out of it. Three days later, on Saturday, Turkish and US officials said the Turks had concluded Khashoggi's death.
"The secretary thanked the Crown Prince for his strong and continuing partnership. The State Secretary and the Crown Prince have addressed a wide range of regional and bilateral issues, including Yemen and the anti-regime activities of the Iranian regime in the region, "the statement said. State and Crown Prince also discussed areas likely to expand US-Saudi collaboration. "
Jared Kushner, son-in-law and advisor to Pompeo and Trump, have close relations with the crown prince, often known by his initials, MBS. The young Saudi is one of the pillars of the Trump administration's efforts to isolate Iran and control it economically, and it would decisively support the government's still-secret plan for a peace deal between Israel. and the Palestinians.
But the crown prince is also seen as the main actor behind a diplomatic dispute with Canada in August over what the Saudis have described as inappropriate public criticism of human rights.
Saudi Arabia expelled the Canadian ambassador, withdrew some investments and asked Saudi students to leave university at Canadian universities.
"MBS is extremely sensitive to criticism and is prepared to react carelessly to the affronts perceived against it," said Ian Bremmer, founder of Eurasia Group, a political risk advisory firm. He stressed that Khashoggi's fate remains unknown.
"The most relevant point is that it's hard to imagine President Trump wanting to make it an important issue," added Bremmer, pointing to Trump's dismissal last year after the alleged assassination of Assassination of dissidents and journalists.
"There are a lot of killers. We have a lot of killers, "said Trump in an interview with Fox News. "Well, do you think our country is so innocent?"
[Trump says U.S. isn’t ‘so innocent’ either when asked about Russian targeting of journalists]
Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) Suggested in a tweet on Sunday that he would seek to pressure or punish the Saudis if they are held responsible for Khashoggi's death.
"If this deeply troubling report is confirmed, the United States and the civilized world must react strongly and I will review all options in the Senate," he said. wrote.
Aaron David Miller, Middle East specialist at the Wilson Center, who worked in the Republican and Democratic administrations, said Trump had "hung his hat in the region to the Saudis" and that he would be reluctant to criticize them.
"Probable Saudi involvement. . . should, but probably not, deter the Trump government from pursuing a policy of tranquility and appeasement of Riyadh, "said Miller, a friend of Khashoggi." There is in fact evidence that the Saudis have killed Khashoggi, the defense of the values and interests of the United States requires accountability, including through the use of sanctions or the suspension of arms sales. "
Miller and others noted that the Trump government had imposed sanctions on Turkey in retaliation for the detention of US pastor Andrew Brunson. The administration severely criticizes human rights abuses in Iran, Cuba and Venezuela, but has appeased public criticism of North Korea's violations during negotiations to reduce the country's nuclear weapons program. this country. Trump was also initially reluctant to blame Russia for the attempted murder of a former spy and his daughter in Britain this year.
"If it had been Bush 41 and James Baker, even with their ties to the Saudis, Baker would have called someone to say," Listen, we need to know now and we need to know exactly what your role is, "he said. said Miller. , in reference to former President George HW Bush and his secretary of state.
[Turkey’s president calls disappearance of journalist disturbing]
Ned Price, spokesman for former President Barack Obama for national security, said the Trump government's position was unusual and troubling.
"Any other administration – whether it is Democratic or Republican – would clearly state the same position at this point: it is up to the Saudis to prove that Khashoggi left the consulate or is alive," said Price. "What we have heard from this administration, however, is practically nothing."
Price said that the Obama administration had criticized Saudi Arabia in the case of a detained blogger, Raif Badawi.
"We have made it clear that his detention would be a major stumbling block in the relationship. We have not seen anything like this administration, which claims to find private applications more convincing, "said Price.
"The Trump administration gave carte blanche to the Saudis and was called by the Crown Prince. The Saudis may have taken this position light as a green light. "
[ad_2]Source link
