Dutch Wopka Hoekstra
Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra on Thursday pulled out of next week's investment summit in Riyadh and a Dutch trade mission to Saudi Arabia in November was put on hold over concerns about the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
"The cabinet has decided that the finance minister will not attend the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh on Oct. 25", Foreign Minister Stef Blok said in a letter to parliament.
"Saudi authorities have been unable to provide clarity in this serious matter. Also, many international companies, the World Bank, IMF and the French finance minister have cancelled their participation."
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire added his name to a growing list of government ministers and prominent business executives cancelling their attendance at a Saudi Arabia investment conference over the fate of a Saudi journalist.Le Maire said Saudi authorities needed to explain the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi after he went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.Turkish officials have said they believe Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who was critical of the authoritarian kingdom's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was murdered inside the consulate. The Saudis have denied the allegations.One of 15 Saudis that targeted Khashoggi dies in suspicious car accident"No, I will not be going," Le Maire told Public Senat TV. "The allegations are serious".Paris and Riyadh enjoy close diplomatic ties and commercial relations spanning energy, finance and arms. Le Maire said he had informed his Saudi counterpart of his decision not to travel to Riyadh on Wednesday.Asked if the move might jeopardise bilateral relations between the two countries, Le Maire said: "Absolutely not."U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said his plans to attend an investment conference in Riyadh next week would be revisited on Thursday.Trump: US requested audio, video on missing journalistUS rep. introduces bill to ban Saudi arms salesWashington Post publishes Khashoggi’s final columnUS intel ties Saudi Prince to journo’s disappearance
French finance minister to shun Saudi conference over missing journalist
Blok said a trip planned by Trade Minister Sigrid Kaag in December was now also unlikely to go ahead.
The November trade mission, focused on waste management, was cancelled for now.
"We have been told to inform participants that the mission has been put on hold," a spokeswoman for PSPS Consultants, which had organised the trip for the government, said.
Meshal Saad M. Albostani, one of the 15 suspects who were inside the Saudi consulate when missing journalist Jamaal Khashoggi entered, has died in a suspicious traffic accident. Claims are circulating that Albostani, who is a lieutenant of the Saudi Royal Air Forces, could have been silenced.There is no information about the details of the accident that left Albostani dead.Recordings reveal Khashoggi tortured then dismembered while still aliveAlbostani entered Turkey at 1:45 a.m. local time (2245GMT). He stayed at the Wyndham Grand Hotel and left the country at 9:46 p.m. local time (1846GMT) on a private jet which belonged to the Sky Prime Aviation company.Trump: US requested audio, video on missing journalistKhashoggi, a U.S. resident who wrote columns for the Washington Post and a critic of the Saudi government, has long been feared killed after he entered the Saudi Consulate building in Istanbul on Oct. 2 and was never seen leaving.On the same day, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while Khashoggi was still inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.US rep. introduces bill to ban Saudi arms salesWashington Post publishes Khashoggi’s final columnUS intel ties Saudi Prince to journo’s disappearanceTurkish-Saudi team completes probe at Saudi consulate
One of 15 Saudis that targeted Khashoggi dies in suspicious car accident
A bill in the House of Representatives would halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia unless Secretary of State Mike Pompeo certifies the kingdom did not order the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.Massachusetts Democratic congressman Jim McGovern, co-chair of the Human Rights Commission and the ranking member of the House Rules Committee, took the lead on the legislation, saying reports about Khashoggi "represent a brazen violation of international norms."The legislation states U.S. military aid and sales to Saudi Arabia would be prohibited, pending confirmation from Pompeo on the status of Khashoggi.“If the United States stands for anything, we need to stand out loud and foursquare for human rights. Our values are our strength, and we cannot be indifferent or complicit when those values are undermined or attacked," McGovern said in a statement last week.US intel ties Saudi Prince to journo’s disappearanceKhashoggi has not been seen since he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 as fears mount he was killed.Multiple reports have cited audio and video recordings containing grisly details of his alleged killing at the hands of Saudi operatives after he entered the consulate.Other U.S. lawmakers have also taken similar stances on Saudi Arabia, saying sanctions are necessary if reports of the journalist's death are true.Republican Senator Lindsey Graham warned there would be "hell to pay" if Khashoggi was killed.Turkish-Saudi team completes probe at Saudi consulateAccording to the Intercept news website, the bill, introduced to the House on Tuesday, is being co-sponsored by six Democrats and two Republican lawmakers.Republican Senator John Kennedy said that while Saudi Arabia should be condemned if it is found to be behind Khashoggi's disappearance, the U.S. should stop short of "blowing up the Middle East" in retaliation."You could expel diplomats. You could do a U.N. resolution. You could curtail arms sales. You could do sanctions on individuals," Kennedy said, according to the Hill news outlet. "Our foreign policy has to be anchored on values, that's America."Among the "number of options" the U.S. could pursue are sanctions, arms sales reductions and UN resolutions, Kennedy suggested.
US rep. introduces bill to ban Saudi arms sales
A joint investigation into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was completed early Thursday.All officials from the joint Turkish-Saudi team have left the area after searching the Saudi consul general's official residence as well as the Saudi consulate building in Istanbul, according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent at the scene.Crime scene investigation units arrived at the Istanbul residence of Mohammad al-Otaibi around 4:40 p.m. local time (1340 GMT). Al-Otaibi left Turkey for Riyadh on Tuesday.The Turkish team concluded its search for evidence in nine hours and left but returned to the Saudi consulate to continue searching the premises.US intel ties Saudi Prince to journo’s disappearanceEarlier in the day, a group of Saudi officials arrived at the Saudi consul general's residence to take part in the joint probe with Turkish investigators into Khashoggi’s disappearance.Khashoggi has long been feared killed after he entered the Saudi Consulate building in Istanbul on Oct. 2 and was never seen leaving.On the same day, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while Khashoggi was still inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.
Turkish-Saudi team completes probe at Saudi consulate