France's President Emmanuel Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron told Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Friday that international experts need to be involved in the investigations into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to French media reports.
Macron’s remarks came during a five-minute exchange with Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of the two-day G20 Leaders’ Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Citing an Elysee official, reports said Macron also stressed the need to find a political solution to the situation in Yemen.
“You never listen to me,” Macron is heard telling bin Salman in a short video clip of their meeting posted on the Saudi Gazette newspaper’s Twitter account.
“I will listen, of course,” bin Salman replied.
Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist working for The Washington Post, was killed shortly after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
After saying he had left the consulate alive, Saudi Arabia admitted weeks later that he was killed there, blaming his death on a group of rogue Saudi operatives.
The Senate stepped up efforts against Saudi Arabia by advancing legislation to end support in Yemen's civil war, but must continue efforts to fully rebuke U.S. President Donald Trump, The New York Times said Friday.On Wednesday, senators voted 63-37 in favor of advancing a resolution to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition's war in Yemen, thwarting efforts by the Trump administration to convince lawmakers to vote against it.The resolution now moves to the Senate floor, where it will be debated on next week.The Times said in an opinion piece that while the decision was a victory, "unless Congress enacts and enforces the bill, which is unlikely, it will be just that, a rebuke, with little comfort for the starving Yemenis."What made many lawmakers vote in favor of the resolution was the absence of CIA Director Gina Haspel, whom they wanted to question as to why the agency reportedly concluded that Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After initially saying he had left the consulate alive, weeks later the Saudi administration admitted he was killed there.Trump has been facing heavy criticism for his decision to maintain steady relations with Saudi Arabia after the killing of Khashoggi."That callousness incensed even Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who has mutated from Trump critic to loyalist. Senator Graham said he was originally against the measure but then switched, explaining, 'I changed my mind because I’m pissed,'" The Times wrote.The newspaper asserted the response by the Trump administration angered many in Washington because it disrupted the balance between American interests and American values.Yet the chance the Senate resolution will be adopted by Congress is quite small since it still faces a final Senate vote, and does not have much of a chance of passing through the House of Representatives by the end of the year, the newspaper said.But the Times called on senators to continue efforts to demand to hear from Haspel, and also called on world leaders who will be with bin Salman at the G20 summit in Argentina to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for its actions, noting "there can be no business as usual."
Senate stepping up criticism of Saudi Arabia: NYT
British Prime Minister Theresa May has urged Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler to hold the killers of Jamal Khashoggi to account and to ensure that Riyadh cooperates fully with Turkey, her office said Friday.May held talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires."The prime minister stressed the importance of ensuring that those responsible for the appalling murder of Jamal Khashoggi are held to account and that Saudi Arabia takes action to build confidence that such a deplorable incident could not happen again,” her office said.May also encouraged bin Salman to ensure that Saudi Arabia will cooperate fully with Turkish authorities and work to “bring both investigations to an acceptable close”.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist working for The Washington Post, was killed shortly after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After saying he had left the consulate alive, Saudi Arabia admitted weeks later that he was killed there, blaming his death on a group of rogue Saudi operatives.May also asked Saudi Arabia to end the conflict in Yemen and “bring relief to millions threatened by famine” during her meeting with the crown prince.Impoverished Yemen has been wracked by conflict since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Arab allies launched a military campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in Yemen and shoring up the country’s Saudi-backed government.The war has resulted in a collapsed economy and a cholera outbreak that has affected over 1.1 million people.Riyadh has repeatedly accused the Houthis of acting as a proxy force for Iran, Saudi Arabia’s arch-foe in the region.UK PM May to be robust with Saudi Crown Prince on Khashoggi killingRepublican senator to withhold vote until CIA briefs on Khashoggi‘Trump part of Khashoggi cover-up’
UK PM urges Saudis to cooperate with Turkey