Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
The Turkish prosecutor looking into the death of Jamal Khashoggi has asked Saudi Arabia's prosecutor to say who sent the team involved in the journalist's killing, President Tayyip Erdoğan said on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters in parliament, Erdoğan said the Turkish prosecutor had told his Saudi counterpart that the 18 suspects in the case could be tried in Turkey. Saudi officials also needed to reveal the identity of a local cooperator said to have been involved in Khashoggi's disappearance, he said.
Saudi Arabia's Chief Prosecutor Saud Al Mojeb on Tuesday arrived at the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul as part of probe into slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi deserves a “dignified burial,” so “please hand over his body,” Daud Abdullah, the director of Middle East Monitor, is pleading Saudi authorities.Abdullah spoke to Anadolu Agency before a memorial event in London to remember Khashoggi, organized by not-for-profit press monitoring organization Middle East Monitor and the Al Sharq Forum, an independent pro-democracy, non-partisan, non-profit think-tank focusing on the greater Mideast.He said the gathering Monday was organized to recognize Khashoggi’s achievements as a journalist and internationalist.“In the latter years of his life he was based in Washington at the Washington Post,” Abdullah said, adding that this gave him a platform to cast his message far and wide.Abdullah said Khashoggi spread his message of “equality for justice and freedom.”Underlining how Saudi authority admitted that Khashoggi was killed in their Istanbul Consulate after weeks of denial, he urged them to hand over the journalist’s body.“We have just one message [for the Saudis]: We plead in the name of the God, for God’s sake, hand over the body!”“He is entitled to have a dignified burial,” he added.However, he added, the case will not be closed until those responsible for the murder are held accountable.Saudi prosecutor arrives at consulate in Istanbul as Khashoggi probe continues‘No ordinary crime’Galip Dalay, research director of the Al Sharq Forum, thinks Khashoggi was no victim of an ordinary crime.Also speaking to Anadolu Agency, Dalay said the last two events the Saudi journalist attended were organized late last month by the Al Sharq Forum in Istanbul and Middle East Monitor in London -- the latter just four days before his death -- and this is why the two organizations are hosting the memorial event.“Jamal was not killed in a petty criminal activity,” he said.Khashoggi was killed in a “premeditated” action ordered by top-level authorities in Saudi Arabia, Dalay said.“All the findings... are pointing to [Crown Prince] Mohammed bin Salman; in one way or another, [they] link the case to Mohammed bin Salman.”Dalay said merely prosecuting those who killed Khashoggi will not satisfy justice.He said: “Who gave the order? What was the network? Who was involved in this case from the political level?Iranian FM hails Turkish stance on Khashoggi’s murderTurkish FM calls on Saudi Arabia to reveal 'whole truth' on Khashoggi killing“They should also be brought to justice,” he said, adding that this should pave the way to a “universal jurisdiction” regarding the killing.Khashoggi’s journalist friends, human rights activists, politicians, and academics joined the memorial service held in central London.The meeting saw an emotional speech from Khashoggi’s fiancée Hatice Cengiz, who got an ovation lasting minutes.The event, titled “Remembering Jamal,” also featured speeches by Abdullah, Conservative MP Crispin Blunt, and some prominent journalists.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After weeks of denying any knowledge of his whereabouts, on Oct. 19 Saudi officials admitted that Khashoggi had died inside the consulate building.Turkish police have been investigating the case, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said 18 people arrested in Saudi Arabia over the killing should be sent to Turkey to face trial.
'Jamal Khashoggi deserves a dignified burial'
He had previously visited his Turkish counterpart at the Çağlayan Courthouse.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and a critic of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed inside the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul after he went there to obtain documents for his forthcoming marriage.
After denying any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi, 59, for two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Oct. 20 acknowledged his death, saying he had died in a fistfight.
Since then, Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor said Khashoggi’s killing was premeditated, contradicting the previous official statement that it happened accidentally during a tussle in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Saud al-Mujeb, Saudi’s top prosecutor heading the probe into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, asked Istanbul’s Chief Public Prosecutor İrfan Fidan to share the whole investigation folder, including evidence, phone records, statements and footage, during their meeting on Monday, however this request was denied, Turkey’s TRT Haber reported.Fidan did, however, allegedly share the statements of the Saudi consulate employees.Mujeb and the delegation accompanying him left the Istanbul Çağlayan Courthouse after a 75-minute closed-door meeting with Fidan. The Saudi delegation then went to the consulate.Khashoggi fiancee says Riyadh behind his murder, criticises Trump responseThe representative of the Chief Prosecutor heading Turkey’s probe into Khashoggi’s killing, Hasan Yılmaz, and Public Prosecutor İsmet Bozkurt also attended the meeting.Fidan requested that the 18 suspects arrested in Saudi Arabia over the killing should be sent to Turkey to be tried, echoing earlier sentiment by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The Turkish prosecutor also asked that the location of Khashoggi’s body be revealed.Mujeb just reiterated Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir who said on Saturday that those behind the killing of Khashoggi would be prosecuted in the kingdom.Turkish FM calls on Saudi Arabia to reveal 'whole truth' on Khashoggi killingThe suspects Turkey wants extradited include a 15-man security team that it says flew in hours before the killing and carried it out.Mujeb told the Turkish delegation that they could join the prosecution process in Saudi Arabia.Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and a critic of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed inside the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul after he went there to obtain documents for his forthcoming marriage.UK intelligence knew Khashoggi plot, tabloid claimsAfter denying any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi, 59, for two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Oct. 20 acknowledged his death, saying he had died in a fistfight.Since then, Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor said Khashoggi’s killing was premeditated, contradicting the previous official statement that it happened accidentally during a tussle in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.Riyadh's numerous shifting accounts of the killing have undermined Prince Mohammed's standing.In talks with Saudi minister, Mattis calls for transparent investigation in Khashoggi killing
Turkey denies top Saudi prosecutor’s request for whole Khashoggi file: report
The fiancée of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has said Saudi authorities are responsible for his murder, and the kingdom should give more details so that those who ordered and carried out the killing can be brought to justice.The death of Khashoggi - a Washington Post columnist and a critic of Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - sparked global outrage and pitched the world's top oil exporter into crisis.When asked who was ultimately responsible for the killing, his fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, told Reuters in Turkish: "This took place inside a Saudi diplomatic mission ... In such circumstances, the Saudi Arabian authorities are responsible for this.""This incident, this assassination, took place in the Saudi consulate," she said, speaking through a translator. "So the Saudi authorities probably know how such a murder took place.""They need to explain what happened," said Cengiz, who was sombre, guarded and appeared at times on the verge of tears.U.S. President Donald Trump has said Prince Mohammed, who has consolidated control over Saudi security and intelligence agencies over the past three years, bore ultimate responsibility for the operation that led to Khashoggi's killing.Turkey takes statements of 38 Saudi Consulate employeesTurkey only allowed to take water sample from well at Saudi consulateWhen asked what she would say to Prince Mohammed if she ever got the chance to speak to him, she said: "I don't think that will ever happen."Cengiz later told an audience she was disappointed with Trump's response to the killing, suggesting U.S. business ties with Riyadh had influenced his approach to the case.Khashoggi, 59, entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 to obtain paperwork necessary for his upcoming marriage to Cengiz, a Turkish national. He did not walk out of the consulate. Cengiz first raised the alarm.Saudi Arabia initially denied any involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance but a Saudi official eventually attributed his death to a botched attempt to return him to the kingdom.Later, Riyadh said the killing was premeditated and Prince Mohammed has vowed that the killers would be brought to justice.Saudi Arabia has detained 18 people and dismissed five senior government officials as part of the investigation into Khashoggi's murder. Some were members of a 15-man hit team, many of them Saudi intelligence operatives, who flew into Istanbul hours before Khashoggi's death, Turkish security sources say.Saudi crown prince presides over committee to restructure intel agencySaudi Arabia says Khashoggi murder premeditatedMurder in IstanbulTurkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who Cengiz praised, has urged Riyadh to disclose who ordered the murder and prosecutors have prepared an extradition request for 18 suspects from Saudi Arabia."The explanations given so far by Saudi Arabia are not sufficient," Cengiz said. "I want to know the details of who is responsible."Asked if she held Crown Prince Mohammed or the Saudi royal family responsible, she said:"I and my government would like all those responsible, from the person who gave this order to those who carried it out, to be brought to justice and punished under international law," she said.Cengiz said she had not been contacted by Prince Mohammed or the Saudi royal family, nor offered any condolences by them.Speaking in central London, she said the West is considered a stronghold of human rights and democracy so it should stand up to the killers of her husband-to-be.Saudi Crown Prince's men in Khashoggi killing"I am disappointed by the actions of the leadership in many countries, particularly in the U.S.," she later told an audience in London."President Trump should help reveal the truth and ensure justice be served. He should not pave the way for a cover-up of my fiance's murder. Let's not let money taint our conscience and compromise our values."Trump has hedged his criticism of Saudi leaders over Khashoggi, insisting he does not want to imperil a "tremendous order" of $110 billion of weapons he says will support 500,000 U.S. jobs - figures that experts say are highly exaggerated.Cengiz met Khashoggi in May at a conference in Istanbul and their relationship blossomed. But the decision to marry in Istanbul, whose mosques reminded Khashoggi of his hometown Medina, set off a paper chase that ultimately ended in death.Turkish law required that Khashoggi, who was divorced, provide proof that he did not have a wife and thus his trip to the consulate. Cengiz said she had been shown no recordings of what happened inside the consulate and that she got most of her information from the media."Like everyone else, I am still waiting for answers," she said. "The world should know who instigated, were involved in and committed this crime."
Khashoggi fiancee says Riyadh behind his murder, criticises Trump response
"Turkey will destroy terror structures in east of Euphrates"
He also said that Turkey will destroy terror structures in the east of the Euphrates River in Syria, adding that the intervention there had begun and more extensive operations will be launched soon.
"We will walk over terror groups with more effective operations."
The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) on Sunday bombed positions belonging to terrorists of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)’s Syrian affiliate, the YPG, on the eastern shore of the Euphrates River in Syria.
Artillery shells were fired at the YPG-occupied Zour Magyar to the west of northern Syria's Ayn al-Arab region and was aimed at preventing terrorist activities.
The Russian-Turkish Public Forum will be held between Nov. 1-4 in Turkey's Mediterranean resort city Antalya, secretary-general of the group said Tuesday. Sergey Markov said that during the session Russian and Turkish experts would discuss underlying problems and offer possible solutions."First question on the agenda is the visa issue. There is now a serious disparity in this area. And this is one of the key issues the Turkish side constantly raises," he said.He offered to move to e-visa and visa issuance at airports in the first stage and then to remove visa requirement for Turkish citizens.Turkey says Idlib deal going as planned, no issue in implementationThe next question on the agenda is a perceptual problem, Markov said."There is a phenomenon, known as the Russian-Turkish information paradox. The Russian media write about Turkey based on what they read on western media, and the same is true with Turkish media. We seem to look to each other through the lens of western media and this reflection is often distorted," he said.This paradox can be resolved easily, Markov said, by opening doors for correspondents from both countries."For now, Anadolu Agency is the only major Turkish media group which has an office in Moscow," he said.Another factor is related to experts who run think-tanks generally financed by western institutes which may manipulate public opinion, Markov added.Teaching shared history will also be discussed at the forum."Russian-Turkish relations have a long and complicated history. The problem here is that the emphasis is on conflict periods. I would suggest that we develop a balanced position on the conflict periods for their teaching in schools, so that it is true, but it does not provoke negative feelings among the representatives of the two nations. And at the same time to highlight the periods of positive development," Markov said.The forum was created by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2013. Its main task is to expand and to deepen Russian-Turkish relations. The results of the forum sessions are reported directly to the two leaders.
Russia-Turkey forum to be held in Antalya
He said that Turkey would bring down all terror nests on the eastern side of Euphrates. "We have finished all our preparations, plans, program regarding the issue," he added.
He said that Turkey cannot "look to the future with confidence without solving the Syrian issue".
Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.
The powers using terror groups as tools to reach their goals are trying to revive Daesh in Syria, Erdoğan warned.
The Turkish, Iranian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers gathered in Istanbul on Tuesday for their sixth trilateral meeting.Speaking at a joint press conference afterwards, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said there is no problem in implementation of the Sochi agreement for Idlib, Syria reached last month between Turkey and Russia."Right now, there is no problem regarding implementation of this memorandum," he said.He said two roads in Syria -- one connecting Aleppo to Hama and another connecting Aleppo to Latakia -- will be opened by the end of the year.PYD/PKK suspect arrested on Turkey-Syria border"Everything is on track right now," Çavuşoğlu said.He said if terror groups or radical groups in Syria try to step over the line, Turkey will be the first to intervene, before anyone else.Çavuşoğlu added that besides Turkey and Russia, Iran is the country that has supported and contributed the most to the process leading to the Sochi agreement.After a Sept. 17 meeting in Sochi between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the two sides agreed to set up a demilitarized zone -- in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited -- in Syria’s Idlib province.Turkey, US finalize steps for joint patrols in ManbijUnder the terms of the deal, opposition groups in Idlib will remain in areas in which they are already present, while Russia and Turkey will carry out joint patrols in the area to prevent a resumption of fighting.Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.Video: Trilateral Turkey-Azerbaijan-Iran FMs meeting in IstanbulKremlin says Turkey is fulfilling obligationsRussia confirms that Turkey is making great efforts to establish a demilitarized zone in Syria's Idlib, a Kremlin spokesperson said Tuesday.We do not see a threat of violation for the Russian-Turkish memorandum in this Syrian province, Dmitry Peskov told journalists during a daily conference-call in Moscow."Unfortunately, not everything goes according to the plan -- or, according to the ideal plan that was worked out," Peskov said."But, as [President Vladimir] Putin said, we accept it understandingly, because indeed the situation there is extremely difficult," he added.Ankara and Moscow also signed a memorandum of understanding calling for the “stabilization” of Idlib's de-escalation zone, in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.
Turkey says Idlib deal going as planned, no issue in implementation
But, he said, Turkey would never allow them to drag Syria into chaos and bloodshed by inciting the regime or reviving Daesh in the region.
"Neither people in the region nor the world believe in the Daesh game," said Erdoğan.
More than 300 people lost their lives in Daesh-claimed attacks in Turkey, where the terror organization has targeted civilians in suicide bomb, rocket, and gun attacks in recent years.