The residence of the Consul General of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul, Turkey.
An 11-member Saudi investigation team arrived at the Saudi consul's Istanbul residence on Wednesday ahead of an expected search by Turkish police in relation to journalist Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu had said that Turkey hopes to enter the residence on Wednesday.
Turkish police were expected to search the residence on Tuesday but officers at the scene said it was called off for the day because Saudi officials were unable to join.
The Washington Post on Wednesday accused the Trump administration of trying to “clean up the Saudis’ mess” while praising Turkey's resolve to clear up the case of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist who went missing at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.In an editorial, “Why is the Trump administration cleaning up Saudi Arabia’s mess?” the paper began by criticizing the visit by Mike Pompeo, U.S. secretary of state, to see Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in Riyadh.“Pompeo, who smiled broadly as he greeted Prince Salman, appeared less intent on determining the truth than in helping the de facto Saudi ruler escape from the crisis he triggered,” said the unsigned editorial.Saudi Arabia pays Washington $100M as Pompeo lands in Riyadh“The Saudis are said to be preparing a cover story that will attribute Mr. Khashoggi’s murder to the excesses of a team that was dispatched to interrogate him. That would deflect blame from the crown prince, who in fact is believed to have ordered and overseen the operation.” It added that in a phone call with Salman, U.S. “President Trump signaled that he is more than ready to assist in that dodge.”President Erdoğan looks ‘serious’“Back in Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appeared more serious about trying to discover the truth,” continued the editorial.Pompeo tells Erdoğan US willing to aid Khashoggi probe“But [Turkey's] probe faced considerable obstacles: Erdoğan told reporters that the investigators who were finally allowed into the consulate encountered freshly painted walls. Turkish sources told the Associated Press (AP) they have found more evidence backing up their claim that Khashoggi was murdered and dismembered shortly after entering the compound.”The editorial argued that what “should not be acceptable is a diplomatic cleanup operation conducted by the Trump administration for” Saudi Arabia.Khashoggi is feared killed after he entered the Saudi Consulate building in Istanbul on Oct. 2 and was never seen exiting.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, Turkish police sources said. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.'Prince Salman can't quash murder probe': Wasington Post columnTurkey hopes to enter Saudi consul’s residence on Wednesday: FM
'Turkey serious amid US cleanup of journalist case'
Saudi Arabia deposited $100 million into American accounts on Tuesday, the same day U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo touched down in Riyadh to discuss the disappearance of missing journalist Jamal Khashogi with the Saudi king, crown prince and foreign minister.The funds were allegedly part of financing pledged in August by Riyadh to the Trump administration for efforts to stabilize Syrian territories liberated from Daesh. “It was unclear when it would show up, if at all, until it suddenly landed in American accounts on Tuesday,” The New York Times reported.“The timing of this is no coincidence,” an American official involved in Syria policy told The New York Times.Pompeo tells Erdoğan US willing to aid Khashoggi probeThe alignment of the transfer and Pompeo’s arrival in Riyadh has raised questions. The top diplomat was in Saudi Arabia to discuss Khashoggi’s disappearance, a matter that has heightened tensions between Riyadh and many of its allies.Claims have emerged that Riyadh is preparing a report acknowledging Khashoggi was killed as the result of an interrogation that went wrong. In an earlier article, the New York Times, citing a person familiar with Saudi plans, reported that the Saudi government would blame an intelligence official for a bungled operation.Blaming Khashoggi's case on mistakes by lower-level personnel would allow the Saudi government to say it never sanctioned his disappearance, and could help to reduce international outrage over the affair, a banker in the Gulf said.'Prince Salman can't quash murder probe': Wasington Post columnU.S. backing of such a conclusion would help shield Saudi Arabia from the fallout of such an acknowledgement.“The specific transfer of funds has been long in process and has nothing to do with other events or the secretary’s visit,” Brett McGurk, the United States envoy to the coalition fighting Daesh said, dismissing claims that the visit is connected to the money transfer.Combined with another $50 million from the UAE, the Saudi funding will enable U.S. presence in Syria to continue without dipping into Washington’s own pocket.“The funds will be used by USAID and the State Department for a variety of programs, including infrastructure repairs and provision of health, education and sanitation services,” The New York Times reported.UAE Crown Prince Zayed’s army of assassinsTurkey hopes to enter Saudi consul’s residence on Wednesday: FMUS senator blasts Trump over Khashoggi caseFive Khashoggi suspects linked to crown prince: NY Times
Saudi Arabia pays Washington $100M as Pompeo lands in Riyadh
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on Wednesday, again offered U.S. assistance in Turkey's investigation into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the U.S. State Department said."The Secretary also expressed the United States' concern over Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance," the department said in a statement following their meeting. Video: President Erdoğan, US’ Pompeo meet in Ankara'Prince Salman can't quash murder probe': Wasington Post columnUAE Crown Prince Zayed’s army of assassinsChinese daily slams approach of US over Khashoggi caseTurkey hopes to enter Saudi consul’s residence on Wednesday: FMUS senator blasts Trump over Khashoggi case
Pompeo tells Erdoğan US willing to aid Khashoggi probe
Whitewashing the disappearance and possible killing of a Saudi journalist “won’t be easy,” even for the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, wrote a Washington Post columnist Wednesday.“Putting a lid on a murder investigation won’t be easy, even for the brashly confident crown prince,” wrote Post columnist David Ignatius in "MBS’s rampaging anger will not silence questions about Jamal Khashoggi," a piece harshly critical of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, called MBS in the piece.Khashoggi, also a columnist for the Washington Post, is feared killed at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul after he entered on Oct. 2 and was never seen exiting.Chinese daily slams approach of US over Khashoggi caseAs the “brave journalist” Khashoggi entered the consulate, he also started a “catastrophic process” which put Salman’s “own future in question,” wrote Ignatius.“Surrounded by yes-men who saw suppressing dissent as part of a media war, and rattled by the reversal of his dreams for economic reform, MBS moved toward the fateful moment when Khashoggi entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul,” he wrote.“The darkening mood inside MBS’s palace in recent months shows a crown prince facing economic pressure and tightening his circle of advisers,” Ignatius added.Turkey hopes to enter Saudi consul’s residence on Wednesday: FMSaud al-Qahtani, Salman’s media advisor, is also increasingly his “consigliere in the kingdom’s battles with foreign adversaries such as Qatar and Iran as well as domestic critics.”“U.S. officials believe that, in addition to seeking dominance in social media, Qahtani and other advisers have helped MBS use the latest and most aggressive hacking techniques against adversaries,” he said, adding that Qahtani urged Saudi to report “enemies of the kingdom” on his Twitter account, which has 1.3 million followers.“MBS’s tight inner circle has helped him push modernization efforts, such as reducing the power of the religious police, allowing women to drive and opening movie theaters and other public entertainment. But his team of palace advisers has often amplified, rather than challenged, the crown prince’s worst impulses,” he said.US senator blasts Trump over Khashoggi caseThe crown prince “went into a funk for several days after learning of Khashoggi’s death before re-emerging on a rampage of anger around what happened and trying to figure out a response," Ignatius said, citing an anonymous “knowledgeable source.”On Monday, Turkish and Saudi officials searched the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul after the start of a joint probe into the disappearance.Saudi authorities have yet to give a clear explanation of what happened to Khashoggi, while several countries -- particularly Turkey, the U.S., and the U.K. -- are pressing for the mystery to be cleared up as soon as possible.Israel using Saudi statements on Khashoggi: OfficialFive Khashoggi suspects linked to crown prince: NY TimesRecordings reveal Khashoggi tortured then dismembered while still alive
Prince Salman can't quash murder probe: Wasington Post column
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said he hopes that the residence of Saudi Arabia's consul general will be searched on Wednesday."The search of the Saudi consul general residence did not happen on Tuesday due to claims of the family's presence, but the team hopes to enter today," Çavuşoğlu said.Following permission for a search of the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkish and Saudi officials are to search the residence of the Saudi consul concerning the case of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Spain 'concerned' on case of missing Saudi journalistAmid the ongoing investigation of Khashoggi however, Saudi Arabia's Consul General in Istanbul Mohammad al-Otaibi left Turkey for Riyadh on Tuesday.Khashoggi has long been feared killed at the consulate after he entered the Saudi Consulate building in Istanbul on Oct. 2 and was never seen exiting.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, Turkish police sources said. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.Five Khashoggi suspects linked to crown prince: NY TimesRecordings reveal Khashoggi tortured then dismembered while still aliveTurkey, U.S. are “on the same page on lifting sanctions”Speaking from the airport in Ankara, Çavuşoğlu said talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were "beneficial and fruitful." Pompeo was on a brief visit to Turkey after having met with the Saudi king, crown prince and foreign minister in Riyadh on Tuesday.Çavuşoğlu said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told Pompeo Turkey could easily clear northern Syria's Manbij of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) if Washington failed to do so.The YPG is the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.MoU between Turkey, Russia on Idlib ‘being implemented’The foreign minister added that the U.S. “accepts there is a delay in implementing the Manbij roadmap.”The Manbij deal between Turkey and the U.S. focuses on the withdrawal of YPG/PKK terrorists from the city to stabilize the region, which is in the northeast of Aleppo province in northern Syria.Çavuşoğlu said Turkey and the U.S. “are on same page regarding the lifting of sanctions and other related matters.”US continues to arm PKK terrorists in Syria under the pretext of fighting Daesh
Turkey hopes to enter Saudi consul’s residence on Wednesday: FM