Latest News: UN to examine death of Saudi writer if asked


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ANKARA, Turkey – News on the assassination of the Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi (all local times):

8:15 p.m.

The United Nations said that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was responding to his earlier appeal for an independent and transparent investigation into the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

US Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq reiterated on Tuesday that the Secretary-General could open an investigation if the major parties requested it or if there was a legislative mandate from a US body.

Saudi Arabia announced Saturday morning that Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, had been killed during a "hand-to-hand fight" at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on October 2nd. Explanation of many countries.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday in an interview with the Anadolu government agency that "if a request for an international investigation is made … we will cooperate".

Haq said that this was not an official request from the Turkish government, that Guterres should consider allowing an international investigation.

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7:30 p.m.

The Turkish media reported that investigators had found three suitcases, a laptop and clothes inside a car belonging to the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul.

State TV TRT reported that Turkish crime scene investigators had inspected the vehicle on Tuesday in search of evidence of the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Authorities discovered the car in an underground garage on Monday.

Saudi Arabia said that Khashoggi was killed in a fight that broke out inside the consulate. Turkey says that he was the victim of a planned murder.

The Turkish authorities did not find the journalist's body.

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7:10 p.m.

Foreign Ministers of the G-7 group of industrialized countries said that the explanations provided for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi leave many questions unanswered and that those responsible for the death must report on them.

A joint statement by Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the European Union, condemned the murder of Khashoggi in the "strongest possible conditions".

They said that Saudi Arabia's confirmation of the writer's death at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul was a first step towards full transparency and accountability.

The statement issued Tuesday reaffirmed the need for a thorough, credible and timely investigation with the full cooperation of the Turkish authorities.

G-7 ministers said the assassination of Khashoggi demonstrated the need to offer journalists and reaffirm the right to freedom of expression.

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6:45 p.m.

The highest diplomat of the European Union said the bloc was working with the group of seven most industrialized countries to coordinate a response to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Federica Mogherini, head of EU foreign policy, said Tuesday that "the reaction of the European Union will now depend on the next steps that will take the Saudi authorities."

Mogherini told EU lawmakers that Foreign Ministers and their G7 counterparts were working on "new steps to take and statements to make together". She did not detail these steps.

She called on the Saudi to "provide all the information he has on the case and to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice".

Legislators have described Saudi explanations of Khashoggi's death as "hiding and laundering".

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18.30.

Turkish officials said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had promised family members of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi that Turkey would do everything in its power to "shed light on this murder".

Erdogan on Tuesday called Khashoggi 's son, Abdullah, to express his condolences, and spoke with other members of his family.

Erdogan told family members that he was "deeply saddened" by his death and that Turkey would follow the incident. The officials provided the information on condition of anonymity in accordance with the regulations.

Saudi Arabia said the journalist, a critic of the Saudi royal family, had been killed during a fight. Erdogan said Tuesday he was a victim of a "savage murder" planned in the coming days.

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6:15 p.m.

US Vice President Mike Pence said that the death of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi "will not continue without an American response."

Pence said the CIA director, Gina Haspel, was in Turkey to examine the facts of what he termed "brutal murder". He offered his condolences to Khashoggi's family.

Speaking Tuesday in Washington at an event organized by the Washington Post, Mr. Pence did not want to clarify what an American response might be. Khashoggi, a contributor to Post, lived in Virginia.

When asked if the United States would sanction members of the royal family of Saudi Arabia when it was acknowledged that they were accomplices, Pence responded that it was a decision of President Donald Trump.

He says Trump will make a decision that reflects the national security values ​​and interests of the nation and "will make sure the world knows the truth".

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18h

Spanish lawmakers have rejected proposals to end arms exports to Saudi Arabia after a debate.

The conservative and ruling socialist legislators argued on Tuesday that jobs in the defense industry should be protected. They rejected non-binding proposals from far-left parties and smaller parties calling for a freeze on arms exports. The Citizens in Favor of Business section has abstained.

Last month, Spain chose not to risk a $ 2.1 billion contract for five naval frigates in a labor-hungry region when it sent a bomb to Saudi Arabia that members of the socialist government of Pedro Sanchez tried to stop.

The prime minister is expected to inform lawmakers on the issue Wednesday.

Western countries have rethought their relations with the Gulf kingdom in the face of international turmoil caused by the assassination of dissident Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul earlier this month.

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17:30.

Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received the family of the murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi and expressed their condolences.

The royal family on Tuesday received the journalist's son, Salah, and his brother, Sahel, at the Yamama Palace in Riyadh. A friend of the Khashoggi family told The Associated Press that Salah was under a travel ban since last year. The individual spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals.

Prince Mohammed has been subjected to increasing pressure, with critics suspecting him of having ordered the operation or to be at least aware of it. The Saudi authorities have reportedly arrested 18 suspects and dismissed senior officials.

The prince briefly appeared Tuesday before the King of Jordan, King Abdullah II, during an afternoon debate, without making any public statements.

–By Aya Batrawy in Riyadh

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4:40 p.m.

Swedish and Danish leaders react after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared that Saudi Arabia has assassinated Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi after planning his death.

Stefan Lofven, Swedish Prime Minister ad interim, said: "It seems very believable that something terrible has happened there, something horrible."

However, Lofven refrained from commenting on other pending facts, the Swedish news agency TT reported.

In neighboring Denmark, Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen summoned the Saudi ambassador and announced that the meeting would be held "as soon as possible".

He said: "There are still many unclear questions and I think it's fair to give the ambassador the opportunity to explain it."

Samuelsen had previously stated that there would be no official participation of Denmark in a conference on investment in Saudi Arabia, which would be "a natural consequence of the current situation".

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3:15 p.m.

A US official said CIA director Gina Haspel was in Turkey to examine the case of the assassinated Saudi writer, Jamal Khashoggi. The agent was not allowed to discuss the trip and spoke only under the guise of anonymity.

Haspel's visit on Tuesday comes a day after US President Donald Trump said he was not happy with Saudi Arabia's explanation of Khashoggi's death three weeks ago at the consulate. of the kingdom in Istanbul.

Saudi Arabia said it was killed in a fight, but Turkish officials said the Washington Post columnist, 59, was attacked and killed by a Saudi team of 15 people.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he hoped that Saudi Arabia would allow the 18 suspects detained for the murder of the journalist to be tried by Turkish courts.

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By Deb Riechmann in Washington, D.C.

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13h

The Turkish president urged Saudi Arabia to reveal who had ordered the "savage murder" of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, and said the 18 Saudis suspected of suffering him should be tried by Turkish courts.

Addressing the legislators of his ruling party in parliament on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said all those responsible for the murder should be punished regardless of their rank, from the person who ordered his death to those who had perpetrated the murder.

He asked, "Where is Jamal Khashoggi's body?" For the first time, Erdogan also confirmed that a duplicate of Khashoggi's body had been used as a lure after his assassination.

Erdogan's speech was delivered as skepticism intensified over Saudi Arabia's account that he died accidentally in his consulate in Istanbul.

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12:40

The Turkish president said Saudi officials had started preparing the assassination of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi a few days before his death at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that the Saudi authorities began plotting against Khashoggi at the end of September, a few days before his disappearance after entering the consulate on October 2nd.

Erdogan's comments contradict Saudi claims that Khashoggi accidentally died in a "hand-to-hand fight" at the consulate.

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12:25

Saudi Arabia has announced that the organizers will sign agreements worth $ 50 billion at the start of an important economic forum in Riyadh.

The Future Investment Initiative Forum, which began on Tuesday, is an original idea of ​​Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Its goal is to attract more foreign investment into the kingdom and help create desperately needed jobs for the young population.

The transactions will cover manufacturing, transportation and other areas.

Prince Mohammed was not immediately on the forum when he started.

Last year, the forum turned out to be a lavish affair that attracted more international attention to the kingdom. This year's protest saw business leaders withdraw from the Khashoggi massacre on 2 October.

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11:10

A high-level economic forum in Saudi Arabia kicked off in Riyadh, the kingdom's first major event on the world stage since the murder of writer Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this month .

The Future Investment Initiative Forum, which began on Tuesday, is an original idea of ​​Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Its goal is to attract more foreign investment into the kingdom and help create desperately needed jobs for the young population.

Prince Mohammed was not immediately on the forum when he started.

Last year, the forum turned out to be a lavish affair that attracted more international attention to the kingdom. This year's event saw many business leaders and executives withdraw from the Khashoggi massacre on October 2nd.

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10:35

The Turkish Foreign Minister said his country would cooperate with international bodies if they conducted an independent investigation into the murder of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi.

In an interview with the Anadolu agency, Mevlut Cavusoglu, also said Tuesday that Turkey had not disclosed any evidence regarding his death to the Saudi Arabian consulate, but added that "there is no such thing as". there could be "an exchange of views between the intelligence services".

Saudi Arabia said Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi royal family, was killed on October 2 in a "hand-to-hand combat" with officials sent to encourage him to return to the kingdom. The media and Turkish officials have announced that the 59-year-old Washington Post columnist was killed and dismembered by a Saudi group of 15 Saudi players.

Cavusoglu said: "If a request for an international investigation is made … we would cooperate."

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10:20

The Turkish president is expected to announce Tuesday the details of his country's investigation into the assassination of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, as skepticism intensified over the narrative of the country. Saudi Arabia that he died accidentally in his consulate in Istanbul.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would "go into the details" about a case that shocked the world and caused a Saudi squadron to suspect preparing for the murder of Khashoggi after he entered the consulate on 2 August. October, then try to conceal it. .

Senior Turkish officials said Turkey would clarify exactly what happened to Khashoggi and that a flood of leaks on national and international media has increased pressure on Saudi Arabia, which is organizing a conference this week. on the tedious investment that many dignitaries have decided not to take because of the scandal. . "

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