May to raise Khashoggi killing with Saudi ruler at G20
UK - Theresa May has said en route to the G20 summit that she plans to raise the killing of Jamal Khashoggi and the situation in Yemen with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“I am intending to speak with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. The message that I give will be very clear ... on this issue of Jamal Khashoggi but also on the issue of Yemen”, the Prime minister told reporters before touching down in Buenos Aires. “On the issue of Yemen we continue to be deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation”, May said. “The longterm solution for the Yemen is a political situation and we will be encouraging all parties actually to look for that and work for that.” Western nations are calling for an end to the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen launched by Salman. May has flown to Buenos Aires hoping to rescue the international reputation of her Brexit deal as she navigates a fraught diplomatic atmosphere with Saudi and Russian leaders. During the two-day summit in Buenos Aires she will hold up to six bilateral meetings with world leaders, but not with Donald Trump, who has been critical of her Brexit deal and its potential limitations on future trade.
Nor will she meet Vladimir Putin, given the frosty state of UK relations with Moscow and division among G20 leaders over how to regard Russia’s latest incursions in Ukraine. During the flight to the summit, May said the latest incident was part of a pattern of Russian behaviour” and the UK would continue to call for sanctions. She added: “If you look at the message I gave at my Mansion House speech, Russia could take a different road, Russia could support the rules-based international system. And if it did, its position would be a different one. It is choosing to continue with this pattern of behaviour.”
In Saudi Arabia, diplomatic relations have been testy with Salman over the killing of Khashoggi and the escalation of suffering in the war in Yemen. Downing Street sources suggested the pair would be ‘engaging’ without officially confirming a bilateral meeting.
“We have been engaging with the Saudi government in recent weeks in the wake of the murder of Mr Khashoggi and we have been doing so in order to deliver a message that we want full accountability and full transparency”, a senior UK official said before May’s departure. “If the opportunity arises for the PM to repeat that message and deliver important messages in relation to Yemen, for instance, then I’m sure she will take the opportunity to do so. Engagement is important if we are to address these issues.”
May’s arrival on Thursday marked the first visit by a British prime minister to the Argentinian capital. On Friday she will tell world leaders she has achieved a good Brexit deal for the global economy that will open up new opportunities for trade and give the UK a new, independent voice to push for reform of multinational institutions such as the World Trade Organization. Trump has expressed deep scepticism about the UK’s ability to strike free-trade deals with countries such as the US under the agreed Brexit terms, a fear shared by many of May’s mutinous backbenchers seeking to crush her deal in parliament.
(The Gaurdian)