French minister pulls out of conference over Khashoggi

US asks Turkey for audio tape in Khashoggi's alleged killing: Trump

PARIS: French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said Thursday he was pulling out of a major investment conference in Saudi Arabia over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"I won't go to Riyadh next week," Le Maire told France's Public Senat TV channel, adding that "the current circumstances do not allow me to go to Riyadh".

The minister echoed President Emmanuel Macron's remarks last week on Khashoggi's disappearance, calling it a "very serious" matter.

"The important thing now is that the full truth of this affair be known," said Le Maire, who said he informed his Saudi counterpart on Wednesday of his decision.

Khashoggi, who was living in self-imposed exile in the United States where he contributed to the Washington Post, vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

He was critical of some of Saudi Arabia's policies.

Turkish officials claim he was killed and dismembered in the consulate by a hit squad which arrived from Riyadh -- claims denied by the Saudi government.

Le Maire's decision to pull out of the October 23-25 Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh -- dubbed the "Davos in the Desert" -- follows that of International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde.

The IMF said Wednesday that Lagarde had "deferred" her trip to the Middle East, without giving an explanation.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said he will decide on Thursday whether to attend.

Several Western business titans and media groups have already pulled out of the conference organised by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.

Like other Western allies of the world's biggest oil exporter, France had embraced Saudi Arabia's powerful new de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as a reformer.

Macron hosted the 33-yearold prince for a private dinner at the Louvre museum when he visited Paris in April.

Saudi Arabia was the second-biggest purchaser of French weapons between 2008 and 2017, after India, signing deals for some 12 billion euros (USD 13.8 billion) in French weaponry.

Meanwhile, America has asked Turkey for an audio recording in the suspected murder of Jamal Khashoggi, US President Donald Trump has said as he sought a full report from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the dissident Saudi journalist's mysterious disappearance.

Khashoggi, 60, is feared to have been killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The incident has resulted in a global outrage, more so in the US where he lived as a legal permanent resident and worked for ‘The Washington Post'.

Khashoggi vanished on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish authorities suspect he was abducted and murdered by the Saudis.

But Riyadh insists that the journalist, a known critic of Saudi King Salman, had left the building and that murder claims are “baseless”.

Trump told reporters at the White House that he had asked Turkey for the audio that gives a clue of the alleged brutal killing of Khashoggi.

“We've asked for it, if it exists,” he said.

The New York Times, citing the content of the audio made available through its Turkish sources, said the audio gave a detailed account of the alleged brutal murder of Khashoggi.

“I'm not sure yet that it exists. Probably does. Possibly does. I'll have a full report on that from Mike when he comes back,” Trump said, referring to his meeting with Mike Pompeo on Thursday on his return from Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

“That's going to be the first question I ask him,” he said.

On his way back from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Pompeo refused to comment on the existence of the audio tape.

“Have you heard or asked to hear the alleged audio on the actual murder?” he was asked.

“I don't have anything to say about that,” Pompeo said, insisting Khashoggi was missing and the Saudi government has launched a probe.

“They're going to do their investigation. I know you all are going to ask questions. I'm going to be very consistent: We're going to give them the space to complete their investigations of this incident, and when they issue their reports, we'll form our judgment about thoroughness, depth, and the decisions they make about accountability connected to that,” Pompeo said.

Trump told reporters that he wanted to find out from Pompeo what had happened.

“He went to Turkey; he went all over. But he spent a lot of time with the Crown Prince, and he's going to have a full report. I'm not giving cover at all,” he said, refuting allegations that he is being soft on the Saudi establishment.

“Saudi Arabia has been a very important ally of ours in the Middle East. We are stopping Iran. We're not trying to stop Iran. We went a big step when we took away that ridiculous deal that was made by the previous administration - the Iran deal - which was USD 150 billion and USD 1.8 billion in cash. What was that all about?” he asked.