German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas
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.
Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Monday called on the international community to put an end to Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programme, but made no direct mention of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.The king, who had largely stepped back from active political life, has intervened to try to defuse the crisis, the biggest to hit Saudi Arabia in a generation, and shore up the power of his son and heir apparent, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.He did, however, laud the Saudi judiciary and prosecution service in his speech on Monday for "performing the duties they were entrusted with", without elaborating.Saudi trolls take action as Ankara presses forward in Khashoggi caseThe king’s remarks to the Shura Council, a top advisory body to the government, were his first public comment since Khashoggi’s murder, which sparked global outcry and strained Riyadh's ties with the West.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.Germany imposes travel bans on 18 Saudis over Khashoggi killingYemen conflictThe king said Saudi Arabia supported U.N. efforts to end the conflict in Yemen, where a Saudi-backed coalition has been battling Iran-aligned Houthi rebels for nearly four years to restore the internationally-recognised government."Our standing by Yemen was not an option but a duty to support the Yemeni people in confronting the aggression of Iranian-backed militias," he said.Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.Video: Starving Yemeni children struggle to battle cholera as conflicts continueThe 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 following year, UN-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait failed to end the destructive conflict.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”.Rouhani says Iran to continue oil exports and resist US economic warIranian jobs pay the price as US sanctions start to bite
Saudi king makes no mention of Khashoggi case in first public comment since murder
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.
The murder of Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey’s Istanbul has thrust an unwavering spotlight on Riyadh and top Saudi officials close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.As Turkey keeps pushing for the truth in the case of Khashoggi’s murder, Saudis have taken to social media. Hashtags laced with anti-Turkey sentiment even became a trending topic on Twitter on Sunday evening. Two hashtags in particular calling for boycotting tourism in Turkey and professing love for Crown Prince bin Salman were trending in the Kingdom. A closer look at some of the users behind the campaigns reveals that a large number of accounts taking part in these campaigns appear to be run by bots with photos of bin Salman used as profile pictures. One tweet accompanied by a photo says, “Not taking a stance is betrayal” and another reads, “How can we respect those that don’t respect our leaders? Will they show us respect if we go to them?”#مقاطعه_السياحه_التركيهمن لا يحترم قادتنا وبلادنا ومقدساتنا كيف يحترمنا اذا ذهبنا لهم pic.twitter.com/x8Cc4rFJ6j— 🇸🇦MBS💛🖤abuoenad ابوعناد (@abuoenad) 18 Kasım 2018 A different Twitter user tweeted a photo of a crossed-out Turkish flag, calling the boycott of Turkish goods “a national duty.”عداوة تركيا للسعودية اشبه بعداوة الشيطان لابن ادم، عداوة يغذيها الحسد والحقد، والسعودي الغيور على بلدة يجب علية مقاطعة تركيا في كل شئ هذا واجب وطني #مقاطعه_السياحه_التركيه pic.twitter.com/8sLBvDsfAs— مكحل الذيب (@t800800) 18 Kasım 2018 Saudi journalist Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, and Turkey has provided the U.S. as well as other countries with a recording of the murder.After weeks of denying any involvement in the crime, Saudi Arabia later admitted that Khashoggi had been killed inside the consulate but claimed the Saudi royal family had no prior knowledge of any plot to murder the journalist.According to reports, Turkish investigators found traces of "hydrofluoric acid and other chemicals" inside a well at the Saudi consul general's home in Istanbul, suggesting Khashoggi’s body was dissolved in acid and other chemicals.Germany imposes travel bans on 18 Saudis over Khashoggi killingOn Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s chief prosecutor’s office announced it had charged 11 out of 21 suspects in relation to the murder, seeking the death penalty for five of the suspects.The CIA believes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of Khashoggi, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, complicating President Donald Trump's efforts to preserve ties with a key U.S. ally.The sources said the CIA had briefed other parts of the U.S. government, including Congress, on its assessment, which contradicts Saudi government assertions that Prince Mohammed was not involved.Khashoggi killing embarrassed France: French journalistTrump wants Saudi Arabia as an ally despite 'vicious' Khashoggi murderWashington Post says Trump is defending bin Salman’s 'lies'
Saudi trolls take action as Ankara presses forward in Khashoggi case
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.
Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, who was detained by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is turning a blind eye to enmity against Turkey.Ever since Lebanon held parliamentary polls on May 6, Hariri has struggled to form a new government. The process has faced repeated delays amid mutual recriminations between the country’s main political forces and demands by certain parties for more representation.The existing temporary government fosters an enmity against Turkey, head of the Lebanese Turkish Society and elected member of the City Council of Tripoli Dr. Khaled Tadmori said.“The ministers appointed by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri try every method to prevent Turkish goods from entering the country. Hariri watches quietly,” Prof. Tadmori said.Dahlan ‘cover-up team’ from Lebanon helps hide traces of Khashoggi murderLebanon will be delivered to the SaudisProf. Tadmori added that Lebanese Foreign Minister Genral Bassil blocked the beneficial work Turkey wanted to carry out in Lebanon.“TİKA [Turkish aid association] wants to open an office in Tripoli, but it is denied permission. The Yunus Emre Cultural Center wants to open a language center in Tripoli but it is also denied permission,” he said.“By stoking anti-Iran sentiment, they want to deliver Lebanon to Saudi Arabia,” Prof. Tadmori added.Lebanese officials last November said that Riyadh had forced its long-time ally Hariri to quit and put him under house arrest because it had lost patience with his political accommodation with the Iran-backed Lebanese Shi’ite Muslim group Hezbollah.Following French intervention, Hariri came back to Beirut and withdrew his resignation, drawing a line under the crisis that had raised fears for Lebanon’s stability and thrust it to the forefront of Riyadh’s regional tussle with Iran.Hariri became prime minister in 2016 in a political deal that made Hezbollah ally Michel Aoun head of state.“It is clear that the Lebanese file has changed in Saudi Arabia. They were saying to Saad al-Hariri that because you have a deal with Michel Aoun ... and part of Hezbollah in the government, you must resign,” a source close to Hariri said.“They have reviewed their calculations with regards to their policy towards Lebanon, and their view that Saad al-Hariri must wage a military war against Hezbollah, or will otherwise be persona non grata,” the source added.Lebanon's Hariri blames Hezbollah for obstructing government formationExplicit animosityCaretaker Economy and Trade Minister Raed Khoury announced in June that Lebanon banned the imports of biscuits and detergents from Turkey. The ban constituted a drop of $30 million in trade.While reducing trade volume with Turkey, Lebanon signed a trade deal with Saudi Arabia and France that allows the free entry of their products into the country, Dr. Tadmori said.History of hateSpeaking in an interview on MTV Lebanon in March 2017, Lebanese Tourism Minister Avadis Kadanian, who is also the deputy chairman of Tashnag, a small Armenian party, said that as an individual he does not like Turkey and would rather not welcome any Turks to Lebanon."I would not promote anything related to Turkey, none of their products, or establish relations with them. I cannot prevent Turks from coming to Lebanon and I do not want to welcome them at an airport," Kadanian said.No gov’t in Lebanon without Sunni MPs: Hezbollah chiefLebanon's Aoun vows to find solution over government impasse
'Hariri's govt seeks to deliver Lebanon to Saudi Arabia'
U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview that aired on Sunday the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was "very vicious" but that he wants to stick with Saudi Arabia as a close ally in the Middle East.Under pressure to punish Saudi Arabia for Khashoggi's death inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, Trump questioned the alleged role of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is known as MbS and is the kingdom's de facto ruler."He told me that he had nothing to do with it," Trump said in an interview with "Fox News Sunday", adding that "many people" also said the crown prince had no knowledge of the killing.The interview was taped on Friday, hours before government sources said the CIA had briefed the Trump administration on the murder and its belief that MbS ordered it.Trump said on Saturday that the CIA assessment was "very premature" and in the interview that aired on Sunday he said it may never be possible to know who ordered Khashoggi's murder.US president refuses to hear Khashoggi death tape"Well, will anybody really know?" he said."He did have certainly people that were reasonably close to him and close to him that were probably involved ... But at the same time we do have an ally and I want to stick with an ally that in many ways has been very good."Trump faces intense pressure from senior Democratic and Republican lawmakers to take tougher action against Saudi Arabia. Some have said the United States should suspend arms sales to the kingdom and drop his support for MbS, but Trump has so far resisted that pressure.Egyptian woman comes forward as Khashoggi’s secret wifeDahlan ‘cover-up team’ from Lebanon helps hide traces of Khashoggi murderThe U.S. government on Thursday imposed economic sanctions on 17 Saudi officials for their alleged role in the killing, but the sanctions did not target the Saudi government.Saudi Arabia is a major oil supplier and a close ally of the United States in countering Iranian power in the Middle East.Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump, said on Sunday he had no doubt about MbS' involvement in ordering the murder of Khashoggi."They are an important ally but when it comes to the crown prince, he's irrational, he's unhinged and I think he's done a lot of damage to the relationship (between) the United States and Saudi Arabia. And I have no intention of working with him ever again," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press."Trump said his administration has a taped recording related to the Khashoggi murder, provided by the Turkish government, but that he has not listened to it and does not want to."I know everything that went on in the tape without having to hear it," he said. "It was very violent, very vicious and terrible."
Trump wants Saudi Arabia as an ally despite 'vicious' Khashoggi murder