Britain's Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox
British trade minister Liam Fox has pulled out of a Saudi investment summit next week, the BBC reported on Thursday.
Fox was listed as a speaker at the Riyadh summit, which other European ministers and business leaders have also said they will no longer attend following criticism of the kingdom over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The Department for International Trade was not immediately able to confirm the BBC report.
France pulled its finance minister out of a Saudi investment conference on Thursday in response to the unexplained disappearance of a journalist but voiced confidence that relations between the allies would not be hurt.Turkey says Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who was critical of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed by Saudi agents in Riyadh's diplomatic mission in Istanbul on Oct. 2 and his body cut up. Saudi Arabia denies the allegation.Paris and Riyadh enjoy close diplomatic and commercial relations spanning energy, finance and weapons. But France, which considers Riyadh a bulwark against Iranian influence in the Middle East, now faces a delicate balancing act in its response to the incident.President Emmanuel Macron last Friday sought to downplay the importance of relations with Riyadh, saying the kingdom was not a major client of France. But Defence Minister Florence Parly told lawmakers on Wednesday that arms sales to Saudi were crucial for French jobs.German opposition demands end to Saudi arms salesOn Thursday, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire added his name to a growing list of government ministers, prominent business executives and leaders of international institutions who have cancelled their attendance at a high-profile Saudi investment conference due to unease over Khashoggi's disappearance."No, I will not be going. The allegations are serious"." Le Maire told Public Senat TV.Saudi authorities needed to explain what had happened to Khashoggi after he went to the Saudi consulate, the last time he was seen in public, he said.When asked if the move might jeopardise relations between the two countries, Le Maire replied: "Absolutely not."US-Saudi relations in light of Khashoggi caseARMS SALESSaudi Arabia is France's largest market in the Middle East, even without arms sales. French exports to the Gulf nation were totaled almost 4 billion euros ($4.61 billion) between September 2017 to August 2018, according to economy ministry data.That figure does not include deals with French firms worth $12 billion that Saudi state-oil giant Aramco's announced in April, including a $5 billion petrochemicals complex with oil giant Total.French defence ministry data shows that from 2008 to 2017, Saudi Arabia was the second biggest purchaser of French arms, with deals totalling more than 11 billion euros ($12.67 billion). In 2017 alone, licences potentially worth 14.7 billion euros to Saudi were approved. "Our industrial and defence base increasingly needs these weapons' exports," Parly told a Senate hearing on Wednesday. "We can not totally ignore the impact that all this has on our defence industries and our jobs."Dutch pull out of Saudi conference over missing journalistMacron has shied away from publicly criticising Crown Prince Mohammed despite international concerns over a crackdown on dissidents and unease over the high number of civilian casualties from Saudi Arabia's military intervention in Yemen.However, in talks with humanitarian groups in September, Macron said he was sceptical of Prince Mohammed's social reform agenda. Turkey says results 'expected soon' on Khashoggi case
France sends mixed signals over Saudi ties after Khashoggi affair
Germany’s opposition Left Party has called on the government to suspend weapons sales to Saudi Arabia over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Dietmar Bartsch, parliamentary group leaders of the party, sharply criticized Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government for not taking a harsher stance on Riyadh.“The current soft approach of the government, which appears to be due to the big economic deals, is simply not acceptable,” Bartsch said on Thursday in an interview with public television ARD.US-Saudi relations in light of Khashoggi case“One has to stop weapons sales to Saudi Arabia. How one can continue this with such a dictatorship,” he said.Journalist Khashoggi is missing since he entered Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.On that same day, 15 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.Saudi authorities have yet to give a clear explanation of Khashoggi’s fate, while several countries -- particularly Turkey, the U.S. and the U.K. -- have expressed their desire that the matter should be elucidated as soon as possible.Turkey says results 'expected soon' on Khashoggi caseUS rep. introduces bill to ban Saudi arms sales
German opposition demands end to Saudi arms sales
Middle Eastern news headlines have dramatically shifted over the past couple of weeks from the usual fare of Syria, Iraq and Palestine to diplomatic intrigue and stories of assassins murdering journalists. Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi, is feared dead after he was seen entering the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, but never left. What followed was a flurry of accusations, denials and shuttle diplomacy to extinguish the fires left in the wake of Khashoggi’s disappearance and alleged murder.- Who is Khashoggi?What is perhaps most incredible to me is the sheer outpour of rage directed at the Saudi state for Khashoggi’s disappearance. The outrage is unsurprising, given news stories have suggested that the Saudi columnist was brutally interrogated by a 15-man hit squad sent by Riyadh before being tortured to death [1] over a period of around seven minutes. According to reports, Khashoggi’s body was subsequently dismembered before being made to disappear.This has led to calls for the protection of journalists from state-backed assassins. The main problem here is that Jamal Khashoggi was not a conventional journalist.Turkey says results 'expected soon' on Khashoggi case Khashoggi has had a deep and well-documented connection with the Saudi state since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan [2], where he worked with the Kingdom’s intelligence service as Riyadh and Washington both supported the jihad against the USSR. He worked as a journalist and travelled throughout Afghanistan, the Middle East and North Africa, likely reporting what he learnt to intelligence handlers.His relationship with high-ranking Saudi royals is also no secret, as he was an advisor to Prince Turki Al Faisal, who was Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States as well as the head of the Kingdom’s intelligence service for 24 years between 1977 and 2001. Far from being a dissident opposed to the Saudi state at a fundamental level, it is important to note that Khashoggi was very much supportive of many of his country’s policies despite his progressive and reformist bent, and had only taken a stand against Riyadh recently, following Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s (MBS) rise to power.One of 15 Saudis that targeted Khashoggi dies in suspicious car accident- US-Saudi relations likely to remain stableAlthough Khashoggi was not a U.S. citizen, he was a permanent resident there and worked for one of the most high-profile newspapers in the country. Therefore, his disappearance has raised hackles and not just eyebrows in Saudi Arabia’s closest ally and backer.Indeed, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened “severe punishment” [3] if it turned out that Saudi Arabia had ordered a hit on the columnist. While Trump would not be drawn on exactly what he meant by punishment, he did say that he would not stop selling arms to Saudi, a country that is currently involved in a military intervention in Yemen against the Iran-backed Houthi Shia militants.Trump also took the crisis as a callous opportunity to essentially squeeze Riyadh for more money, making a speech days after Khashoggi’s disappearance saying that, although he liked King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi monarch “wouldn’t last two weeks” [4] without US support. As such, Trump said it was only fair that Riyadh paid more for American protection, and as soon as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in the Saudi capital, $100 million was delivered to Washington’s coffers [5].Trump: US requested audio, video on missing journalistThe U.S. administration will continue to protect the Saudi monarchy quite simply because Riyadh’s wealth is so vast. Although Senator Lindsey Graham, normally a staunch supporter of Saudi Arabia, has taken the unusual step of calling on MBS to be ousted by his family as he is a “wrecking ball” [6], Trump has defended the Saudi government, saying that they would be considered innocent until proven guilty [7].Arguably, Trump has a point. To date, there has been a media frenzy surrounding the Khashoggi case, and primarily because the antagonist in this story is Saudi Arabia. There is certainly no doubt about it being suspicious that Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate and never came out. However, no one yet knows what happened to the Saudi columnist, and most of the information comes from anonymous sources. It is important that authorities provide factual material to media agencies rather than what so far amounts to speculative tidbits that serve to enflame an already tense situation.The pressure caused by the media furore apparently has the Saudi authorities now considering admitting to Khashoggi’s death at the hands of “rogue” agents who may have accidentally killed the journalist in a rendition operation gone horribly wrong. Still, with Trump’s support and the friendship of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, it is likely that top Saudi royals will emerge unscathed while the operatives involved will face harsh punishment. The true tragedy, however, will be that we may never know truly what happened to Jamal Khashoggi, and we may never see his case brought to a just conclusion.By Tallha Abdulrazaq, a researcher at the University of Exeter's Strategy and Security Institute and winner of the 2015 Al Jazeera Young Researcher Award. His research focuses on Middle Eastern security and counter-terrorism issues.[1] https://www.middleeasteye.net/...[2] https://www.middleeasteye.net/...[4] https://edition.cnn.com/2018/1...[5] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/1...[6] https://www.cnbc.com/video/201...[7] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/1...
US-Saudi relations in light of Khashoggi case
Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra on Thursday pulled out of next week's investment summit in Riyadh and a Dutch trade mission to Saudi Arabia in November was put on hold over concerns about the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi."The cabinet has decided that the finance minister will not attend the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh on Oct. 25", Foreign Minister Stef Blok said in a letter to parliament."Saudi authorities have been unable to provide clarity in this serious matter. Also, many international companies, the World Bank, IMF and the French finance minister have cancelled their participation."French finance minister to shun Saudi conference over missing journalistBlok said a trip planned by Trade Minister Sigrid Kaag in December was now also unlikely to go ahead.The November trade mission, focused on waste management, was cancelled for now."We have been told to inform participants that the mission has been put on hold," a spokeswoman for PSPS Consultants, which had organised the trip for the government, said. One of 15 Saudis that targeted Khashoggi dies in suspicious car accidentUS rep. introduces bill to ban Saudi arms salesTurkish-Saudi team completes probe at Saudi consulate
Dutch pull out of Saudi conference over missing journalist
Turkey's justice minister on Thursday said missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi case is being "thoroughly" investigated and "results are expected to come out soon."Interviewed at Anadolu Agency's Editors' Desk in Ankara, Abdulhamit Gül said Turkish prosecutors are investigating the issue "deeply, successfully and in every step of the way."The Istanbul prosecutors' office will reveal the truth behind the disappearance of Khashoggi, Gül said, adding that "whatever the international law requires will be done."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.On Wednesday, crime scene investigation units arrived at the Istanbul residence of Mohammad al-Otaibi around 4.40 p.m. local time (1340 GMT). Al-Otaibi left Turkey for Riyadh on Tuesday.Officials from a joint Turkish-Saudi team completed an investigation into the case early Thursday after searching the Saudi consul general's official residence as well as the Saudi consulate building in Istanbul.The Turkish team concluded its search for evidence in nine hours and left but returned to the Saudi consulate to continue searching the premises.French finance minister to shun Saudi conference over missing journalistOne of 15 Saudis that targeted Khashoggi dies in suspicious car accidentBrunson decisionMinister Gul also spoke on the newly freed American pastor Andrew Brunson."The Turkish judiciary did not make its decision under any influence, under any orders," he said. "This person is not acquitted, the court's verdict was conviction."Gul said Brunson's judicial control and travel ban orders were lifted in accordance with the verdict.Brunson was arrested in December 2016 and charged in the Aegean province of Izmir with being a member of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind a defeated coup earlier that year.After being transferred this July from jail to house arrest, on Friday Brunson was sentenced to just over three years in prison, but released due to time served and his good behavior in custody.The charges against him included spying for both FETO and the PKK, a group recognized as terrorist by the U.S. and EU, and which is responsible for some 40,000 deaths in Turkey, including women and children.US rep. introduces bill to ban Saudi arms salesThousands of terrorists jailedThe justice minister also gave out some statistics about members of terror groups in the country's jails.Gül said there are 1,161 Daesh members, around 32,000 FETO and 10,000 PKK members jailed in Turkey.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 some 40,000 people, including women and children.US intel ties Saudi Prince to journo’s disappearanceTurkish-Saudi team completes probe at Saudi consulate
Turkey says results 'expected soon' on Khashoggi case