Give us the facts, western countries tell Saudis
The UK, France and Germany have pressed Saudi Arabia to provide facts for its widely derided account of the death of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as Turkey vowed to reveal the “naked truth” about what happened in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this month.
In an attempt to ease growing western doubts about the credibility of the Saudi position, the foreign minister Adel Al-Jubeir told
Fox News on Sunday that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman knew nothing of any plan to kill Khashoggi and that the whereabouts of his body remained a mystery to Riyadh.
Western governments have become increasingly dismissive of the often conflicting accounts of the journalist’s death provided so far.
In a joint statement released on Sunday, the UK, France and Germany said: “There remains an urgent need for clarification of exactly what happened on October 2 – beyond the hypotheses that have been raised so far in the Saudi investigation, which need to be backed by facts to be considered credible.”
The UK foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, spoke to Al-Jubeir on Sunday to convey the British view that “nothing can justify this killing” and assert that the explanation provided was not entirely credible.
A Foreign Office source said: “Ultimately the strength of our response will depend on the extent to which the truth has been found, and our confidence that it cannot happen ever again.”
In his strongest comments to date on the case, the US president, Donald Trump, accused Saudi Arabia of lying about Khashoggi’s death as pressure built on his administration to toughen its stance. Perhaps more ominously for the Saudis,Recep Tayyip Erdogan, promised to provide on Tuesday full disclosure of the Turkish investigation into Khashoggi’s killing. Up to now, the Turkish president and other senior government figures have remained cautious in their public statements, stopping short of pinning the blame on Saudi Arabia and referring instead to the prosecutors’ investigation. Pro-government Turkish newspapers have released information detailing how a 15-member team was sent to Istanbul to confront Khashoggi at the consulate.
It is alleged that Turkey has audio of his murder that would dispel Saudi suggestions he was killed inadvertently by throttling after resisting a plan by 15 Saudi officers to compel him to return to Riyadh.