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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Pompeo was there to discuss the disappearance and alleged murder of the Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi with the Turkish president. (October 17)
AP
A security guard walks into the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, October 9, 2018. The Saudi veteran journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared on October 2, 2018 while he was traveling to the consulate. Saudi Arabia in Istanbul, causing an international tumult involving the kingdom. , Turkey and the United States remains unresolved. (Photo: Lefteris Pitarakis, AP)
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would not break the long-standing United States alliance with Saudi Arabia over the disappearance and possible assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, despite growing pressures at the international and national levels.
"We are not going to leave Saudi Arabia," Trump told Fox Business Network. "I do not want to do that."
Trump hinted that only if the high echelon of the Saudi royal family was involved would he deem it necessary to punish the country.
"I hope the king and crown prince did not know it – it's an important factor for me," Trump said.
Prior to a meeting with secretaries from his office at the Oval Office, Trump underscored the importance of Saudi Arabia as an ally of the United States. He questioned the existence of audio and video recordings that, according to Turkish officials, would implicate Saudi Arabia in Khashoggi's assassination.
Yeni Safak, a pro-government Turkish newspaper, reported on Wednesday that on an audio recording, Saudi Consul General Mohammed al-Otaibi could be heard telling people who are torturing Khashoggi: "Do this out, you're going to cause me trouble. " The newspaper said one of the torturers had replied, "Shut up if you want to live when you return to Saudi Arabia."
The New York Times reported Wednesday audio recording, adding details about the allegations of torture and dismemberment of Khashoggi.
"We asked, if it exists," said Trump about the tapes, "I'm not sure if it exists, it probably exists, perhaps."
When asked why he did not send the FBI to help the Turkish government in the investigation, Trump replied, "Well, he was not a citizen of this country." Khashoggi was a permanent resident of the United States.
Trump said he would not disclose whether the country's highest law enforcement service had opened an investigation.
"I want to know what happened, where is the fault," Trump said. "And we'll probably know it by the end of the week."
On Tuesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions described Khashoggi's disappearance as "a big deal" and said the Justice Department "seriously evaluated" the role the investigation could play.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo initially refused to say whether he had heard audio recordings. His spokesman later said that he had not done so.
On Sunday, Trump threatened Saudi Arabia with "severe punishment" if the country was found responsible for Khashoggi's death.
The Saudi journalist, who wrote critically about the kingdom and the royal family for the Washington Post, has been missing since entering the Saudi consulate on October 2 to obtain documents for the purpose. marry. Turkish officials claimed that he had been murdered inside the building, but Saudi officials have firmly denied it.
Pompeo has completed a series of hastily arranged meetings in Saudi Arabia and Turkey to deal with the escalating diplomatic crisis stemming from the disappearance of Khashoggi. Trump administration officials have forged close ties with the Saudi regime, considering the American ally as a vital partner in their efforts to isolate Iran.
In Riyadh, Pompeo met Saudi King Salman and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of the country. Trump said he sent Pompeo on the "to get to the bottom" trip of the Khashoggi case.
Pompeo said the Saudis had promised to conduct a "transparent and complete investigation" and pledged to make "no exception about who they would hold accountable," including members of the ruling royal family.
"They pledged to hold anyone related to wrongdoing liable to be held liable, whether it be a senior officer or a manager," said Pompeo. .
"It is reasonable to give them a few more days to complete (their investigation), so that they are successful," he said. "That's what they said they needed, and then we'll see it."
He promised to evaluate the Saudi inquiry on a "direct factual basis".
He expressed his reluctance to jeopardize US ties with the Saudis.
"The Saudis have been excellent partners to work with us" in the fight against Iran and other problems, he said. "We have to make sure we are aware of that."
Trump has made Saudi Arabia a central part of its policy in the Middle East, analysts said, considering the country as a drag on Iran's ambitions, a guarantor of stable oil prices and possible support for an agreement of Israeli-Palestinian peace.
"It's a magical thought," said Aaron David Miller, a state department adviser for the Middle East to presidents of both parties. Nevertheless, Trump is very protective of his Saudi allies, he said.
Miller said Trump had made Saudi Arabia his first trip abroad, a heavily promoted visit organized in part by the son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner. Saudi hosts celebrated Trump during events ranging from a lavish banquet to sword dancing.
"They flattered him, they fed him," Miller said. "He loved the pump and the circumstances, and the money."
John Brennan, director of the CIA under President Barack Obama and a fierce critic of Trump, told the "Today" show of the "NBC" channel that Saudi leaders probably knew the disaster would happen and thought they could get away with it. To draw because of their links with Trump.
"The apparent death of Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul is an atrocity, and the close ties of Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salman with the White House should not stand in the way of a full and energetic American response," he said. tweeted Brennan this week.
Lawmakers on both sides lobbied Trump to be more aggressive in his response, with some suggesting sanctions against Saudi Arabia and others threatening to block arms sales in the United States. It is not clear if Congress will follow these possible steps.
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