British Prime Minister Theresa May and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Britain and Canada said Monday that establishing what happened to murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi remains an “urgent need”.
In a phone call, UK Prime Minister Theresa May and her Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau discussed Saudi Arabia and the “appalling” murder of Khashoggi, agreeing there was an urgent need to establish what happened and for those responsible to be held to account, said a statement from Downing Street.
Khashoggi, a Saudi national and columnist for The Washington Post, disappeared on Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to receive paperwork he needed to get married.
Once inside, he was immediately strangled and then dismembered, according to the Istanbul Prosecutor’s office.
The British government’s statement said May and Trudeau also agreed that the international community should continue to press for a “thorough, credible and transparent investigation by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”.
After days of denying any knowledge of Khashoggi’s whereabouts, Saudi Arabian officials said he died in a “brawl” in the consulate but later admitted that he was killed there.
May and Trudeau also discussed Yemen and agreed on the pressing need to alleviate the humanitarian situation and reach a political solution.
“We supported the U.S. call for de-escalation in Yemen, noting that it must be underpinned by a political deal between the conflict parties,” said May.
The UK, France and Germany alongside numerous other countries have condemned the murder of Khashoggi.
Saudi Arabia sent a two-man "clean-up team" to erase evidence of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's killing a week after he disappeared at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, a Turkish official said on Monday, calling it a sign top Saudi officials knew of the crime.Confirming a report in Turkey's pro-government Sabah newspaper, the official said the chemist and toxicologist were tasked with erasing evidence before Turkish investigators were given access to the Saudi consulate and consul's residence.Sabah identified the two men as Ahmed Abdulaziz al-Jonabi and Khaled Yahya al-Zahrani, saying they arrived in Turkey as part of an 11-person team sent to carry out the inspections with Turkish officials.Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist critical of the Saudi government and its de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, disappeared at the consulate on Oct. 2.Saudi officials initially insisted had left the consulate, then said he died in an unplanned "rogue operation". The kingdom's public prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb later said he was killed in a premeditated attack.Khashoggi's fiancee says killers must be brought to justiceErdoğan says top Saudi officials ordered Khashoggi hitNorway summoned Saudi ambassador over Khashoggi murderTurkish and Saudi officials have carried out joint inspections of the consulate and consul's residence in Istanbul, but President Tayyip Erdogan says some Saudi officials are still trying to cover up the crime. Ankara has also demanded Riyadh cooperate in finding Khashoggi's body, which Istanbul's chief prosecutor said had been dismembered.A senior Turkish official confirmed the names of the men identified on Monday by Sabah. "We believe that the two individuals came to Turkey for the sole purpose of covering up evidence of Jamal Khashoggi's murder before the Turkish police were allowed to search the premises," the official said.The two individuals carried out clean-up operations at the consulate and the consul's residence in Istanbul until October 17 and left the country three days later, he said."The fact that a clean-up team was dispatched from Saudi Arabia nine days after the murder suggests that Khashoggi's slaying was within the knowledge of top Saudi officials," the official said.Saudi Arabia says 18 people have been detained over Khashoggi's killing and the head of its human rights commission told a meeting in Geneva on Monday Riyadh was investigating the case with a view to prosecuting the perpetrators.Acid ReportsSaudi Arabia's conflicting accounts of Khashoggi's killing have prompted international outcry against the world's top oil exporter, upending the young crown prince's international image as a reformer.Turkey has released a stream of evidence challenging the initial Saudi denials of involvement, and continues to press Riyadh for details.On Monday Vice President Fuat Oktay called for an investigation into newspaper reports last week that Khashoggi's body was disposed of by dissolving it in acid."The question now is who gave the orders. This is what we are seeking answers to now," Fuat Oktay told Anadolu news agency. "Another question is where the body is... There are reports of (the body) being dissolved with acid now. All of these need to be looked at".In an article in the Washington Post on Friday, Erdogan said the order to kill Khashoggi came from the "highest levels" of the Saudi government and called for the "puppetmasters" to be unmasked.Turkey praised for handling of Khashoggi affairUS mourners gather at service for Jamal KhashoggiAmnesty places Khashoggi sign outside Saudi embassy in UK
Saudis sent 'clean-up' team to Turkey after Khashoggi killing, official says
The United States told the U.N. Human Rights Council on Monday that it condemned the "premeditated killing" of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and said a thorough and transparent investigation was essential.The United States had observer status at the U.N. review of Saudi Arabia's rights record. Washington quit the 47-member council in June, accusing it of bias against Israel. Saudi experts spent six days cleaning consulate after Khashoggi killing: reportSaudi Arabia vows to prosecute Khashoggi killers, defends rights record at UNReports Khashoggi's body dissolved in acid must beinvestigated: Turkish VPKhashoggi's sons plead for father's body return
US condemns Khashoggi killing, tells UN an investigation is essential
Turkey is looking for the person, who ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on its soil, the country’s vice president said on Monday.Fuat Oktay was Monday's guest at the Anadolu Agency’s Editors’ Desk.Oktay said that Turkey carried out an investigation into Khashoggi’s killing with “transparency and a serious manner.”He stated that Turkey has given a message that no one can ever attempt to commit such a murder those who do “will pay the price.”Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, disappeared on Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to receive paperwork he needed to get married.Once inside, he was immediately strangled and then dismembered, according to the Istanbul Prosecutor’s office.Turkey praised for handling of Khashoggi affairErdoğan says top Saudi officials ordered Khashoggi hitIran sanctions Oktay also talked about the U.S. sanctions on Iran and said it's “not meaningful and fair” to expect all countries to obey sanctions for a country’s interests."We clearly expressed our stance about the U.S. sanctions. We'll see fallouts of a statement to be made today", he added.The U.S. reimposed all of the sanctions it lifted on Iran following a historic pact world powers struck with the Islamic Republic.Announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin last week, the sanctions which cover Iran's energy, shipbuilding, shipping and financial sectors took effect on Monday.They are the second batch the U.S. administration reinstated since President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out of the nuclear deal in May despite objections from close allies in Europe.The U.S. is seeking to "alter" Iranian behavior with the sanctions, and has been leaking out a stream of 12 demands it wants to see Iran agree to in exchange for re-lifting the economic penalties.Eight countries who have significantly curtailed their imports of Iranian oil have been granted temporary waivers to allow them to continue importing Iranian oil after the penalties take effect.Two of the countries have agreed to reduce imports to zero while six others "will import at greatly reduced levels," Pompeo said.Separately, Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said on Friday that Turkey is among the countries, which are exempted from these sanctions.Iranian marchers chant 'Death to America' on eve of US oil sanctionsGuards chief says Iran will resist, defeat US sanctionsNormalizing ties with USAbout the Turkey-U.S. relations, Oktay said Turkey's problem in relations with the U.S. was never about pastor Andrew Brunson. “We did not have such a problem nor do we still think it is one,” he said.Turkey and the U.S. have faced rocky relations following Washington’s imposition of sanctions over Brunson's detention.Political tensions between the two countries sparked worries in the markets after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to use economic pressure to secure Brunson's release.Brunson, who was freed on October 12, had been arrested in December 2016 and charged in the Aegean province of Izmir for having links to the FETO, the group behind a defeated coup earlier that year.After being transferred this July from jail to house arrest, Brunson was sentenced to just over three years in prison, but released due to time served and his good behavior in custody.Oktay said Turkey will start discussing real problems to normalize ties with the U.S.EU opposed to US resumption of sanctions on Iran: MoscoviciUS ratchets up pressure on Iran with resumption of sanctionsTurkey's counter-terror fight to go on"Our fight on our borders will continue until the moment when no element threatening Turkey is left," Oktay said, and added that Turkey will not allow any threats or any formations anywhere."Turkey has shown its determination and done what is necessary," the vice president said."Turkey won't tolerate any terrorist threat on its 911-kilometer long border [with Syria]," he added.Oktay said the U.S. promised to eliminate PKK/YPG in Syria’s Manbij but it postponed the solution. “Turkey does not have tolerance to postpone it any further,” he added.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women and children."A country has to be strong in economic, military, political and social terms in order to have stability," Oktay said.About the Turkish economy, Oktay said: “We live at a time, where the foreign exchange, dollar and domestic policies are used as weapons in the economy.”Erdoğan calls on terrorists to leave Syria's ManbijRefugees from Raqqah want to return to their homeland
‘Turkey looks for person who ordered Khashoggi killing’