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Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Saudi Arabia meets British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 12, 2018. Bandar Algaloud / Courtesy of the Royal Saudi Court / Discussion Paper via REUTERSReuters
RIYADH (Reuters) – British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt met Saudi King Salman on Monday in Riyadh to call for the end of the war in Yemen and for Saudi leaders to cooperate in an investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Hunt is expected to later meet the de facto ruler of the kingdom, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, one of the leading promoters of Saudi military intervention in Yemen.
The visit comes as Riyadh, already under the control of civilians killed during air raids in Yemen, faces global criticism and possible punishment for Khashoggi's murder in his consulate in Istanbul on 2 October.
"The human cost of the war in Yemen is incalculable: with millions of displaced people, famine and diseases raging and years of bloodshed, the only solution now is a political decision to put the weapons of side and seek peace, "said Hunt in a statement before the trip. .
"So today, I'm going to the Gulf to demand that all parties engage in this process."
Britain is a major arms supplier to Saudi Arabia. Opposition politicians and human rights groups have called on the government to stop these sales because of the high number of civilian casualties during air raids by the Saudi coalition in Yemen.
The government said that arms sales brought billions of pounds to Britain and guaranteed jobs in the sector, and that its response to Khashoggi's killing must take this into account.
After his arrival, Hunt discussed bilateral relations and regional events with King Salman at a meeting attended by Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, and British ambassadors to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, reported the official SPA news agency.
The Foreign Ministry said it would also meet with Crown Prince Mohammed, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed Zayed Al Nahyan, Yemeni Vice President Ali Mohsen and Foreign Minister Khaled Al Yamani .
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said that the killing of Khashoggi was ordered at the highest levels of the Saudi government. After the initial denial, the Saudi authorities acknowledged that this had been planned in advance, but said that Crown Prince Mohammed was not aware of the operation in question.
The assassination provoked little concrete action by world powers against Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter and a supporter of Washington's plans to contain Iran's influence in the Middle East.
Britain called for a "credible" investigation and called for further action by the United Nations Security Council in an attempt to end hostilities in Yemen and find a political solution to the war in that country.
Hunt, the British prime minister to visit Saudi Arabia since the murder of Khashoggi, will also call on the authorities to do more to hold his family accountable.
"The international community remains united in the horror and indignation after the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi a month ago It is clearly unacceptable that all the circumstances behind his assassination remain unclear", did he declare.
"We encourage the Saudi authorities to cooperate fully with the Turkish inquiry into his death, so that justice is done for his family and the world that watches over them."
Erdogan said Saturday that Turkey had recorded killer-related recordings to several countries, including Britain.
(Report by Elizabeth Piper in London and Stephen Kalin in Riyadh, edited by Angus MacSwan)
Copyright 2018 Thomson Reuters.
