Crown prince vows to hunt down Khashoggi killers
Mohammed bin Salman’s statement fails to address accusations that he was involved in critic’s death
SAUDI ARABIA’S Crown Prince yesterday called the murder of Jamal Khashoggi “heinous” and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.
In his first public address since the journalist’s death, Mohammed bin Salman called the death of the Washington Post columnist “painful for both the Saudi people and the world”, but said it was being exploited to drive a wedge between Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, the crown prince said: “I want to send them a message: they will not be able to do that as long as there is a king called King Salman bin Abdulaziz and a crown prince called Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia, and a president in Turkey called Erdoğan.”
The heir apparent to the Saudi throne said the two countries would work together to bring the perpetrators to court, without addressing accusations that he was personally involved in directing the killing of one of his most prominent critics.
Turkey has maintained pressure over the death, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterating yesterday that he would not allow a cover-up.
Saudi officials finally granted permission to Turkish police to search a well in the garden of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul yesterday, after a delay amid speculation that it may contain body parts belonging to Mr Khashoggi.
To add to the oddity of the Riyadh conference, Prince Mohammed appeared on stage alongside Lebanese prime minister-designate Saad Hariri, whom he is accused of kidnapping and forcing to resign last year in an apparent disagreement over growing Iranian influence in Lebanon.
He joked that Mr Hariri would only be staying in the kingdom for two days this time, “so I hope you don’t spread rumours that he was kidnapped”.
The Saudis have tried to portray business as usual at the forum – viewed as the jewel in the crown prince’s Vision 2030 plan for the country.
Prince Mohammed claimed during his address that the country’s growth would be better in 2019 than this year as the kingdom begins to see through his plans to diversify away from oil.
To a standing ovation, MBS, as he is nicknamed, said economic transformation in Saudi would “restore the Middle East to its past glory”.
Russia has stayed at its fellow energy giant’s side, but missing from the audience were Western politicians, bankers and company executives.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan, secured a $6billion (£4.6bn) rescue package from the kingdom during talks at the conference, after facing criticism that he was cosying up to the regime to stave off a debt crisis.
While Donald Trump, the US president, has offered some protection to the crown prince, it appeared yesterday this would not be unconditional.
President Trump told the Wall Street Journal that Prince Mohammed bore ultimate responsibility.
Theresa May spoke by telephone to King Salman yesterday and told him his country’s explanation for the murder “lacks credibility”. A spokeswoman said she reiterated the UK’S “grave concerns” and urged Saudi Arabia to cooperate with the Turkish investigation.
‘I want to send them a message: they will not be able to do that as long as there is … a crown prince called Mohammed bin Salman, and a president called Erdogan’