French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Monday said his country will impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
"We will swiftly impose many sanctions [on Saudi Arabia] based on what we know [about Khashoggi]," Jean-Yves Le Drian said in an interview with Europe 1 Radio.
Urging that details of the murder of Saudi journalist must be revealed, Le Drian said the culprits should be unmasked.
Le Drian said France and Germany were cooperating on the issue.
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, the Saudi administration admitted weeks later he was killed inside the consulate.
His body has yet to be returned to his family amid reports that it was chemically dissolved.
A Canada-based author has said that the Jamal Khashoggi incident highlighted the crisis in Yemen.In an interview to Anadolu Agency, Patricia Leidl, strategist collaborator with the Global Reporting Center, said: “Just over 15 years ago, all member states of the United Nations came together to endorse a new doctrine known as the Responsibility to Protect (R2P). But, it has been never properly utilized. If ever there were a responsibility to protect, Yemen would certainly qualify.”Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist working for The Washington Post, was killed shortly after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul Oct. 2.Saudi Arabia had offered shifting explanations for Khashoggi's disappearance before suggesting he was killed during a botched operation by rogue agents.His body has yet to be returned to his family amid reports that it was chemically dissolved.Leidl, who has authored "The Hillary Doctrine: Sex and American Foreign Policy", drew parallels between Khasshogi's killing, the Yemen crisis, and the global arms deal.Saudi king backs political solutions in Yemen, Syria“Donald Trump himself stated that his government will be unwilling to act against Saudi Arabia precisely because of the arms deal. That is the first time any president of the United States explicitly stated that his government would not intervene because they wanted to protect arms trade. It is unprecedented and only reveals to what extent U.S. foreign policy has been corrupted by this shadow industry.” She added that other countries also continue to trade arms with Saudi Arabia.“So far as my own country is concerned, and despite an otherwise enlightened foreign policy, Canada’s 12-billion deal to sell light armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia is likely to go ahead.Khashoggi case: Germany slaps travel ban on 18 Saudis“Prime Minister of Canada cited the 1-billion-dollar price tag to rescind the deal as the reason why.”Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies -- who accuse the Houthis of serving as proxies for Shia Iran -- launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.The violence has devastated Yemen’s infrastructure, including water and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.Yemeni Houthis halt missile attacks on Saudi coalition
'Khashoggi incident highlighted Yemen crisis'
Germany on Monday imposed a travel ban on 18 Saudi citizens over their suspected involvement in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.“These individuals are the members of a 15-man team and three others suspected of taking part in this plan,” Christofer Burger, deputy spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, told a news conference in Berlin.He said the decision was taken in close coordination with two other EU partners -- the U.K. and France.Asked whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was among the first group of people receiving sanctions, Burger declined to make any comments on the matter.The Washington Post reported last week that the CIA had concluded the Khashoggi’s murder was ordered by the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist working for The Washington Post, was killed shortly after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul Oct. 2.Saudi Arabia had offered shifting explanations for Khashoggi's disappearance before suggesting he was killed during a botched rendition operation by rogue agents.So far, 21 people, including security officers, have been arrested in Saudi Arabia in connection with the murder.Egyptian woman comes forward as Khashoggi’s secret wifeDahlan ‘cover-up team’ from Lebanon helps hide traces of Khashoggi murderTurkey says Khashoggi killers may have taken body parts out of country
Khashoggi case: Germany slaps travel ban on 18 Saudis