French government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux
France will take appropriate measures if Saudi Arabia's guilt over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is clearly established, government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux told reporters on Wednesday.
"As long as the facts have not been clearly established, and corroborated by our information services, we will not take any decision," said Griveaux.
"But on the other hand, once light has been shed on the matter and has been corroborated by our services, based on the hypothesis that Saudi Arabia's responsibility has been proven, then we would draw the necessary conclusions and take actions," he said, adding that such a move would not solely involve limiting arms sales.
An adviser to Turkey's leader said on Wednesday Saudi Arabia's crown prince had "blood on his hands" over Jamal Khashoggi's killing, the bluntest comments yet from someone linked to Tayyip Erdoğan about Riyadh's de facto ruler in connection with the death.Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment about the remarks.Riyadh has blamed a "rogue operation" for the death of the prominent Saudi journalist, and said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had no knowledge of the killing.Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, disappeared on Oct. 2 when he visited the consulate to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. After weeks of denying any knowledge of his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia said Khashoggi was killed in a fistfight in the consulate.The kingdom's shifting explanations have met incredulity internationally and stirred deepening criticism from Turkey and the West. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Saudi authorities staged the "worst cover-up ever".Britain to stop suspects in Khashoggi death entering UKTrump says Saudi prince 'running things,' could be behind Khashoggi death: WSJ"It is a disgrace that reaches all the way to Crown Prince (Mohammed bin) Salman. At least five members of the execution team are (Mohammed bin) Salman's right hands and are people that wouldn't act without his knowledge," İlnur Çevik, an adviser to President Erdogan, wrote in a column in the Yeni Birlik newspaper."Even if U.S. President Trump saves (Mohammed bin) Salman, in the eyes of the world he is a questionable person with Khashoggi's blood on his hands," Çevik wrote.Iran: Riyadh would not have murdered Khashoggi without US protectionTurkey won't let Khashoggi killers escape justice: ErdoğanÇevik is one of many Erdoğan advisers and not a prominent one. It was not immediately clear whether the views of the column reflected those of Erdogan, who in speeches on Tuesday and Wednesday highlighted the need for all of those responsible - "from those who ordered it to those who carried it out" - to face justice.Riyadh has detained 18 people and dismissed five senior government officials as part of an investigation into Khashoggi's death. One of those fired includes Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide to the crown prince.
Saudi prince has 'blood on his hands' over Khashoggi: Erdoğan adviser
Britain will prevent all suspects in the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi from entering the country, Prime Minister Theresa May said, adding she would speak to Saudi Arabia's King Salman later on Wednesday."There does remain an urgent need to establish exactly what has happened in relation to this ... I myself expect to speak to King Salman later today," May told parliament."The Home Secretary is taking action against all suspects to prevent them entering the UK, and if these individuals currently have visas, those visas will be revoked today."Video: Britain to stop suspects in Khashoggi death entering UKUS to pull visas of Saudis involved in Khashoggi death
Britain to stop suspects in Khashoggi death entering UK
France will not take any decisions on its relationship with Saudi Arabia until the facts surrounding the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi are clear, a source in President Emmanuel Macron's Elysee office said on Wednesday."If decisions are to be taken in the future, they will be taken but based on facts that have been clarified and responsibilities that have been clearly established," the source said."We won't take any hasty decision on the future of our strategic relationship," the source added.Iran: Riyadh would not have murdered Khashoggi without US protectionKhashoggi's death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 has triggered global outrage. Saudi officials have acknowledged that Saudi operatives were responsible for his death, but the explanation around precisely how he was killed and why have shifted.German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday called the killing a "monstrosity" and vowed to halt German arms exports to Riyadh until the case is cleared up.But Macron on Tuesday refused to take questions about halting arms sales. From 2008-17, Saudi Arabia was the second-biggest purchaser of French arms, with deals totalling more than 11 billion euros. Europe’s interest is to clear Khashoggi case: TuskTurkey won't let Khashoggi killers escape justice: Erdoğan
France says will take no 'hasty decision' on links with Saudi Arabia
Jamal Khashoggi was targeted inside Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Turkey and a “body double was on hand to aid in a cover-up,” The Associated Press reported on Wednesday.Three weeks after Khashoggi went missing, Saudi Arabia has offered various explanations all with conflicting accounts of what happened to the journalist.“Saudi officials tell the AP they did in fact send a team to Turkey that included a forensics expert and a member whose job was to dress in the 59-year-old writer’s clothes and pretend to be him,” The AP reported.Video: CCTV footage purports to show man resembling Khashoggi leaving consulateKhashoggi vanished after entering the Saudi consulate on Oct. 2 to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage.Soon after he went missing, Turkish officials said 15 Saudis arrived in Istanbul on the day of his disappearance in two planes and visited the consulate while he was still inside.The account of the events provided to The AP by two Saudi officials confirms that the murder was premeditated, and also reveals attempts to isolate the horrific event from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.Who is al-Madani, Khashoggi’s body double?The officials said the Saudi operatives were acting on the orders of King Salman’s predecessor, King Abdullah, who sought for Saudi dissidents to be brought back to the kingdom to allegedly discuss the nation’s future.The plan was purportedly to take Khashoggi from the consulate to a “safe house” for questioning, but “the operation with Khashoggi turned violent.”“The team included a former Khashoggi colleague who advised him to return to the kingdom. When that failed, the writer, by their account, asked if he was going to be kidnapped. Told he was going to be taken to a safe house, they say he started to yell for help. That’s when an unidentified person on the team applied a chokehold, which the officials said was intended only to keep Khashoggi quiet but ended up killing him instead.”Saudi Arabia will not penalize banks that boycotted conferenceNine of the 15-member squad “panicked and made plans with a local Turkish “collaborator” to remove the body. One official said the body was rolled up in some sort of material and taken from the consulate by the collaborator.”Khashoggi was a U.S. resident who wrote columns for the Washington Post and a critic of the Saudi government, calling for reforms.After denying any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi, 59, for two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Saturday morning said he had died in a fistfight at the consulate. An hour later, another Saudi official attributed the death to a chokehold, which a senior official reiterated.G7, EU condemn Saudi journalist's murderUN would investigate Khashoggi if Turkey requestsTurkish, Saudi officials examine Saudi consulate carUS complicity in Saudi abuses starker than before'EU reaction on Khashoggi depends on Saudi steps'Trump rips Saudi Arabia's Khashoggi plotUS to pull visas of Saudis involved in Khashoggi death
Khashoggi body double used ‘to aid cover-up’ of killing: AP