Turkey set to call for UN investigation
WASHINGTON/ANKARA: Turkey is not entirely satisfied with the level of cooperation it is receiving from Saudi Arabia over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and may seek a formal United Nations inquiry if its liaising with Riyadh comes to an impasse, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said yesterday.
Speaking to reporters in Washington after meeting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Cavusoglu said Turkey had shared the latest information on the Khashoggi killing with the United States and repeated Ankara’s stance that the truth had to come out on who gave the orders to kill the journalist.
‘‘Until now, we have accepted Saudi Arabia’s offers for cooperation with us without hesitation,’’ he said.
‘‘However, looking at the cooperation now, since we can’t find answers to the questions I just listed, this cooperation is not at the level we want.
‘‘If there is an impasse here and this investigation only goes so far or there isn’t full cooperation, then we can make the necessary applications for an international investigation,’’ he said, adding that he discussed the issue with UN Secretarygeneral Antonio Guterres.
Cavusoglu also said both he and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had listened to the audio recording of Khashoggi’s murder.
‘‘It is very disgusting. If you listen to it, you can understand that it is premeditated murder,’’ he said.
US President Donald Trump vowed yesterday to remain a ‘‘steadfast partner’’ of Saudi Arabia, despite saying Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman might have known about the murder plan.
He also said he would not cancel military contracts with the kingdom, saying it would be a ‘‘foolish’’ move that would benefit only Russia and China, competitors of the United States in the arms market.
‘‘It’s all about, for me, very simple. It’s America first,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m not going to destroy the world economy and I’m not going to destroy the economy for our country by being foolish with Saudi Arabia.’’
Asked if he got the impression that Washington was considering letting go of the Khashoggi killing, Cavusoglu said: ‘‘No. I did not get an impression that US will not follow up,’’ adding that Pompeo told him he wanted to see the outcome of both Turkish and Saudi probes on the issue. —