French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire added his name to a growing list of government ministers and prominent business executives cancelling their attendance at a Saudi Arabia investment conference over the fate of a Saudi journalist.
Le Maire said Saudi authorities needed to explain the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi after he went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
Turkish officials have said they believe Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who was critical of the authoritarian kingdom's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was murdered inside the consulate. The Saudis have denied the allegations.
Meshal Saad M. Albostani, one of the 15 suspects who were inside the Saudi consulate when missing journalist Jamaal Khashoggi entered, has died in a suspicious traffic accident. Claims are circulating that Albostani, who is a lieutenant of the Saudi Royal Air Forces, could have been silenced.There is no information about the details of the accident that left Albostani dead.Recordings reveal Khashoggi tortured then dismembered while still aliveAlbostani entered Turkey at 1:45 a.m. local time (2245GMT). He stayed at the Wyndham Grand Hotel and left the country at 9:46 p.m. local time (1846GMT) on a private jet which belonged to the Sky Prime Aviation company.Trump: US requested audio, video on missing journalistKhashoggi, a U.S. resident who wrote columns for the Washington Post and a critic of the Saudi government, has long been feared killed after he entered the Saudi Consulate building in Istanbul on Oct. 2 and was never seen leaving.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, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.US rep. introduces bill to ban Saudi arms salesWashington Post publishes Khashoggi’s final columnUS intel ties Saudi Prince to journo’s disappearanceTurkish-Saudi team completes probe at Saudi consulate
One of 15 Saudis that targeted Khashoggi dies in suspicious car accident
"No, I will not be going," Le Maire told Public Senat TV. "The allegations are serious".
Paris and Riyadh enjoy close diplomatic ties and commercial relations spanning energy, finance and arms. Le Maire said he had informed his Saudi counterpart of his decision not to travel to Riyadh on Wednesday.
Asked if the move might jeopardise bilateral relations between the two countries, Le Maire said: "Absolutely not."
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said his plans to attend an investment conference in Riyadh next week would be revisited on Thursday.
The U.S. has requested audio and video evidence concerning Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance "if it exists," U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday.“We have asked for it. If it exists we have asked for it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, adding it "probably does" exist.Trump said he was waiting to be briefed on the missing journalist from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo when he returns from his trip to Ankara and Riyadh.Khashoggi has not been since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 as fears mount he was killed in the diplomatic facility.US rep. introduces bill to ban Saudi arms salesMultiple reports have cited audio and video recordings containing grisly details of Khashoggi's alleged killing at the hands of Saudi operatives after he entered the consulate.On the same day Khashoggi entered the consulate, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the building while Khashoggi was still inside, Turkish police sources said. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.Trump continued to stand by Saudi Arabia after saying earlier this week that Khashoggi's disappearance could have been the work of "rogue killers," but said he is "not giving cover at all" to Riyadh, whom he repeatedly called a close U.S. ally.“They’re an important ally, but I want to find out what happened, where is the fault, and we will probably know that by the end of the week,” Trump added.Saudi Arabia has yet to give a sufficient answer for Khashoggi's fate more than two weeks after he went missing, but continue to deny any role in his disappearance.US intel ties Saudi Prince to journo’s disappearanceTurkish-Saudi team completes probe at Saudi consulate
Trump: US requested audio, video on missing journalist
A bill in the House of Representatives would halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia unless Secretary of State Mike Pompeo certifies the kingdom did not order the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.Massachusetts Democratic congressman Jim McGovern, co-chair of the Human Rights Commission and the ranking member of the House Rules Committee, took the lead on the legislation, saying reports about Khashoggi "represent a brazen violation of international norms."The legislation states U.S. military aid and sales to Saudi Arabia would be prohibited, pending confirmation from Pompeo on the status of Khashoggi.“If the United States stands for anything, we need to stand out loud and foursquare for human rights. Our values are our strength, and we cannot be indifferent or complicit when those values are undermined or attacked," McGovern said in a statement last week.US intel ties Saudi Prince to journo’s disappearanceKhashoggi has not been seen since he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 as fears mount he was killed.Multiple reports have cited audio and video recordings containing grisly details of his alleged killing at the hands of Saudi operatives after he entered the consulate.Other U.S. lawmakers have also taken similar stances on Saudi Arabia, saying sanctions are necessary if reports of the journalist's death are true.Republican Senator Lindsey Graham warned there would be "hell to pay" if Khashoggi was killed.Turkish-Saudi team completes probe at Saudi consulateAccording to the Intercept news website, the bill, introduced to the House on Tuesday, is being co-sponsored by six Democrats and two Republican lawmakers.Republican Senator John Kennedy said that while Saudi Arabia should be condemned if it is found to be behind Khashoggi's disappearance, the U.S. should stop short of "blowing up the Middle East" in retaliation."You could expel diplomats. You could do a U.N. resolution. You could curtail arms sales. You could do sanctions on individuals," Kennedy said, according to the Hill news outlet. "Our foreign policy has to be anchored on values, that's America."Among the "number of options" the U.S. could pursue are sanctions, arms sales reductions and UN resolutions, Kennedy suggested.
US rep. introduces bill to ban Saudi arms sales
The Washington Post late Wednesday published the final column of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist who went missing this month at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.In the article, titled “What the Arab world needs most is free expression,” Khashoggi wrote about press freedom in the Arab world.He wrote that after viewing the “2018 Freedom in the World” report by U.S.-based non-governmental organization Freedom House, he “came to a grave realization”.“There is only one country in the Arab world that has been classified as ‘free.’ That nation is Tunisia. Jordan, Morocco and Kuwait come second, with a classification of ‘partly free.’ The rest of the countries in the Arab world are classified as ‘not free'.“As a result, Arabs living in these countries are either uninformed or misinformed. They are unable to adequately address, much less publicly discuss, matters that affect the region and their day-to-day lives. A state-run narrative dominates the public psyche, and while many do not believe it, a large majority of the population falls victim to this false narrative. Sadly, this situation is unlikely to change,” he said.Missing Saudi journalist’s fate still uncertainTurkish investigators enter Saudi consul's Istanbul residence“The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events.“More important, we need to provide a platform for Arab voices. We suffer from poverty, mismanagement and poor education. Through the creation of an independent international forum, isolated from the influence of nationalist governments spreading hate through propaganda, ordinary people in the Arab world would be able to address the structural problems their societies face.”Above the column, the newspaper published a note by the paper’s Global Opinions editor, Karen Attiah.“I received this column from Jamal Khashoggi’s translator and assistant the day after Jamal was reported missing in Istanbul,” Attiah wrote.“The Post held off publishing it because we hoped Jamal would come back to us so that he and I could edit it together. Now I have to accept: That is not going to happen.German FM puts plan to visit Saudi Arabia on holdSaudi investigation team arrives at consul's Istanbul residence“This is the last piece of his I will edit for The Post. This column perfectly captures his commitment and passion for freedom in the Arab world. A freedom he apparently gave his life for. I will be forever grateful he chose The Post as his final journalistic home one year ago and gave us the chance to work together,” she added.Khashoggi has long been feared killed after he entered the Saudi Consulate building in Istanbul on Oct. 2 and was never seen leaving.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, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.
Washington Post publishes Khashoggi’s final column
U.S. intelligence officials are becoming more convinced that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman played a role in the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, The New York Times reported late Wednesday.“American intelligence officials are increasingly convinced that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia is culpable in the killing of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, an appraisal that poses challenges to a White House intent on maintaining a close relationship with the kingdom,” the newspaper claimed.“Intelligence agencies have not yet been able to collect direct evidence of the prince’s involvement, American and European officials said. They also have not been able to conclude whether Prince Mohammed directly ordered the killing of Mr. Khashoggi, or whether his intention was to have Mr. Khashoggi captured and taken back to Saudi Arabia,” the paper reported, citing one official.Missing Saudi journalist’s fate still uncertainBut “intelligence agencies have growing circumstantial evidence of the prince’s involvement,” the report said, citing American officials. “The prince’s complete control over the security services makes it highly unlikely that an operation would have been undertaken without his knowledge,” it added.On Tuesday, The New York Times reported that some of the suspects identified by Turkey in Khashoggi’s disappearance had ties to the Crown Prince. Khashoggi has long been feared killed after he entered the Saudi Consulate building in Istanbul on Oct. 2 and was never seen leaving.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, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.US conveys willingness to help Turkey on Khashoggi case'Turkey serious amid US cleanup of journalist case'
US intel ties Saudi Prince to journo’s disappearance