Trudeau says arms deal could be used a ‘lever’

PM hints again about using weapons sale to get answers on writer’s death

OTTAWA— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that a massive deal to sell armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia can be used as a “lever” to force leaders of the Middle East country to cough up answers about the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Trudeau on Thursday again repeated his veiled threat to Saudi Arabia that Ottawa is “actively reviewing” the export permits required to allow the $15-billion sale to go ahead.

But he said the deal gives Ottawa “leverage” as it joins the international community in pressing Riyadh for details about the fate of Khashoggi, who went missing after a visit to the Saudi consulate on Oct. 2.

Until there are answers, Trudeau said that Canada will continue to look for ways to put pressure on Saudi Arabia to “ensure they understand the importance of respecting human rights and freedom of the press.”

Saudi officials i nitially claimed that Khashoggi left the building alive but have since been scrambling to change their story in the face of evidence from Turkish sources that the journalist was killed in the consulate by a hit team that had flown in from Saudi Arabia.

“We will continue to work with our allies around the world in order to get better answers on this incident and talk about consequences for that,” he said at a joint news conference on Thursday with Mark Rutte, prime minister of the Netherlands.

The federal Liberals have long resisted calls to suspend the sale of the Canadian-made light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia under a deal reached by the previous Conservative government. The moral cost: How can Canada sell arms to anyone? Thomas Walkom, A17