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ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Germany, which has pledged to suspend arms exports to Saudi Arabia following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, said on Saturday that it was "deadly". it expects the European Union to adopt a common position on the potential limits to the sale of arms.
PHOTO FILE: People hold placards on which is written "Decisions That Kill" at a rally to call for the cessation of arms sales to Saudi Arabia in front of Parliament in Madrid, October 24, 2018. REUTERS / Paul Hanna / File Photo
The assassination of Khashoggi – a Washington Post editorialist and critic of Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – sparked global outrage and plunged the world's largest oil exporter into a crisis.
The incident sharply focused relations between the West and Riyadh, due to skepticism about Saudi Arabia's changing explanations of the assassination of the consulate in Istanbul. The prosecutor of the kingdom said this week that the murder was premeditated, which contradicts an earlier official statement that it was committed accidentally.
"We have agreed that when we have more clarity … we will try to find a unified European solution or a reaction from all the member countries of the European Union," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel, referring to the sale weapons in the kingdom.
She spoke at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, at the end of a quadripartite summit on Syria.
Macron said any decisions that would be taken, including any sanctions, should be taken at European level to ensure coordination.
Merkel has already promised to stop all German arms exports to Saudi Arabia until the killing is explained. Macron said he told Crown Prince Mohammed that France and its partners could sue those responsible for the murder.
France, along with the United States and Britain, is one of the major arms suppliers to Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies.
Erdogan told reporters on Saturday that he had shared information about the murder during one-to-one meetings with other leaders.
Turkish prosecutors have prepared an extradition request for 18 suspects in Saudi Arabia following the killing, authorities said. Erdogan said on Saturday that the request was being sent to Saudi Arabia through the Turkish Ministry of Justice.
Riyadh has already arrested the 18th as part of its investigation into the case. These include a security team of 15 people who, according to Turkey, flew a few hours before the murder and executed it.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Saturday that those responsible for the murder would be prosecuted in the kingdom and that the investigation would take time.
The Saudi prosecutor is due to meet on Sunday with the Turkish prosecutor in charge of the investigation in Istanbul.
Report by Paul Carrel in Berlin, Sybille de La Hamaide in Paris and Can Sezer in Istanbul; Written by Ali Kucukgocmen and David Dolan; Edited by Hugh Lawson
