[ad_1]
Multimedia playback is not supported on your device
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with King Salman in Saudi Arabia, as pressure grew on the Saudis to explain the fate of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Mr. Khashoggi was last seen at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago.
Turkish officials believe that Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi agents, but the Saudis denied it.
However, the US media reports that the Saudis may be preparing to admit that Mr. Khashoggi died as a result of an interrogation that went wrong.
In the night, the Turkish police conducted a search of the consulate after its admission by the Saudi authorities.
What will probably come from the Pompeo meeting?
The state secretary has now begun talks in Riyadh, with the goal of seeing the king deepen his conversation with President Donald Trump on Monday.
Speaking of the call, Mr Trump said: "I just spoke to the King of Saudi Arabia who denies he has knowledge of everything that happened" to our Saudi citizen "."
Later, he told reporters: "The denial was very, very strong, it seemed to me that these killers might be thugs.
There is a lot at stake given the strength of the US-Saudi ties. Mr Trump has already ruled out the cancellation of a lucrative market with weapons, although he threatened to "severely punish" if the kingdom was responsible for the death.
King Salman ordered the opening of an investigation into the missing journalist Monday. Saudi statements have so far rejected allegations of murder as "unfounded" and "lies".
The kingdom also angrily rejected what it called political and economic "threats", saying it would react to any punitive action, such as sanctions, "with a heavier penalty".
Copyright of the image
Reuters
Mike Pompeo with King Salman in Riyadh
Mr. Pompeo is also expected to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his day in Riyadh. The secretary of state will then travel to Turkey.
Reflecting the growing pressure on Saudi Arabia, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, on Tuesday urged the kingdom and Turkey to reveal everything that they do. knew about the case.
She said that the diplomatic inviolability of the consulate and the diplomatic immunity of officials should be lifted during the investigation.
What is this American media line about?
He appeared in The New York Times and on CNN, citing anonymous sources.
They stated that Saudi Arabia would recognize that Mr. Khashoggi 's death was the result of an interrogation that went wrong and that his intention was only to kidnap him from Turkey.
This may partly explain Mr. Trump's "dishonest killers" line.
Who such killers could be and how does this fit into the reports of a Saudi team sent to the consulate prior to the arrival of Mr. Khashoggi will likely have to be covered.
According to CNN, the Saudis could argue that the operation was carried out without authorization and that those responsible would be held responsible.
The Khashoggi family in Saudi Arabia issued a statement calling for an "independent and impartial international commission".
What happened with the consulate search?
For the first time since the journalist's disappearance on October 2, Turkish investigators were allowed to enter the building.
Copyright of the image
EPA
Turkish officers search Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul
A Saudi team entered on Monday first, followed about an hour later by Turkish forensic police.
Turkish investigators, some wearing a suit, gloves and covered shoes. stayed about eight hours, leaving early on Tuesday.
They would have taken with them samples, including the land of the consulate garden.
Saudi Arabia agreed last week to allow Turkish officials to carry out a search, but insisted that it would only act as a "visual inspection" " superficial.
Turkey rejected this offer. The Sabah daily reported that the investigators wanted to search the building with luminol, a chemical that leaves traces of blood. It is not clear if this has happened.
According to reports released on Tuesday, the Istanbul police would also search the residence of the Saudi consul.
Questions about the Crown Prince
By Frank Gardner, BBC News
Encouraged by state-controlled media, many Saudis rallied to their leadership. There is even a popular rumor that what happened in Istanbul is a plot by Qatar and Turkey to discredit the impeccable Saudi kingdom.
But privately, others are now wondering if Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, 33, who had once been hailed as a visionary savior of Saudi Arabia, went too far.
He launched his country in a costly and seemingly impossible war in Yemen. He is involved in a damaging conflict with neighboring Qatar. He has argued with Canada about human rights and has locked up dozens of people to demonstrate peacefully while alienating many people in royal circles and businesses.
More conservative Saudis may be tempted by quieter times.
Is this the end of the Saudi prince's honeymoon?
What would have happened in Istanbul?
Multimedia playback is not supported on your device
Mr. Khashoggi, a Saudi government critic who wrote for the Washington Post, was last seen entering the consulate on October 2.
- The journalist who disappeared in a consulate
- Why Khashoggi Affair Concerns Saudi Activists
According to reports, Mr. Khashoggi went to get some paperwork for his next wedding.
According to Turkish sources, he was allegedly killed by a team of 15 Saudi agents, but Riyadh insists that he left the consulate unscathed.
Mr. Khashoggi was formerly an advisor to the Saudi royal family, but fell out of favor with the Saudi government and exiled himself. He is an American resident.
[ad_2]Source link
