The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Macron calls for experts to probe Khashoggi death
G20: Theresa May also pressures Saudis at summit in Argentina
French President Emmanuel Macron has stepped up pressure on Saudi Arabia over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by telling Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that international experts need to be involved in the investigation into his death.
Mr Macron’s demand came shortly before Theresa May held face-to-face talks with the crown prince in which she promised to send a “robust” message about the murder and the war in Yemen.
Mohammed has appeared isolated among fellow world leaders at the G20 summit in Argentina, with the exception of a vigorous public handshake from Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
The crown prince was filmed in an apparently tense conversation with Mr Macron, telling the French president not to worry.
Mr Macron responded: “I am worried... You never listen to me.”
Mrs May said she would use her meeting to press Britain’s call for a credible and transparent investigation into Mr Khashoggi’s death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October and urge Mohammed to ensure his country offers full co-operation to the Turkish investigation.
Mrs May was also pressing the Crown Prince to ensure his country’s engagement in talks in Stockholm next week to find a political solution to the bloodshed in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting Houthi rebels.
Following the meeting, a Downing Street spokesman said: “The prime minister stressed the importance of ensuring that those responsible for the appalling murder of Jamal Khashoggi are held to account, and that Saudi Arabia takes action to build confidence that such a deplorable incident could not happen again.”
Amnesty International UK’s director Kate Allen said Mrs May should “politely but firmly insist that only a UN investigation into the grisly murder of Jamal Khashoggi is going to be sufficient”.
Mrs May also held talks with the summit’s host, President Mauricio Macri, at which the long-standing dispute over the sovereignty of the Falklands took a back seat as discussions focused on trade.
The PM is using the G20 gathering to push her “global Britain” message, telling fellow leaders that her Brexit deal will be good for the world economy.