Trump talks tough on vanishing journalist

But does not want to jeopardise US arms sales to Saudi

Istanbul, Oct. 12: Turkey and the United States on Thursday ratcheted up the pressure on Saudi Arabia to explain how a journalist vanished after entering its Istanbul consulate last week, with US lawmakers warning that military ties were at risk.

President Donald Trump became more forceful in his call for answers from Saudi Arabia but he also rebuffed calls from the US Congress to show more resolve, saying he would not jeopardise arms sales to the close ally.

Khashoggi, a Saudi national whose articles have criticised Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has not been seen since October 2 when he went to the consulate in Istanbul to obtain official documents for his upcoming marriage.

Turkish officials have said he was killed -reportedly by a 15-man “assassination team” that arrived on two planes -but Riyadh insists that he left the consulate safely.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in his most extensive remarks on Khashoggi, challenged Saudi Arabia to provide CCTV images to back up its account.

“Is it possible there were no camera systems in a consulate, in an embassy?” he asked.

“If a bird flew, or a fly or a mosquito appeared, the systems would capture this; they (Saudi Arabia) have the most cutting-edge systems,” he was quoted as telling Turkish reporters.

The consulate said CCTV cameras were not working that day and dismissed the murder claims as “baseless”.

The Washington Post reported however that the Turkish government has told US officials it has audio and video recordings which show how Khashoggi was “interrogated, tortured and then murdered” inside the consulate before his body was dismembered.

The case has come to threaten the strong relationship the Trump administration has built with Prince Mohammed, initially hailed by US supporters as a reformer who wants to turn the oil-rich conservative kingdom into a hub for innovation.

The two sides have worked together in confronting Iran despite growing concern over the prince’s campaign against dissidents, which critics say has revealed the true face of his rule.

Raising his tone a notch from Washington's initial low-key response, Trump expressed determination to get to the bottom of the matter. “We can't let it happen. And we’re being very tough and we have investigators over there and we’re working with Turkey and frankly we’re working with Saudi Arabia,” Trump said in an interview.

However, a Turkish diplomatic source quoted by the state-run Anadolu news agency denied US investigators had been tasked on the case. Asked to elaborate, State department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the United States had offered help but declined further details.