Saudi Arabia vows retaliation if punished over missing critic
DUBAI (AFP) – Saudi Arabia warned it would retaliate against any sanctions imposed on the oil-rich kingdom over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as the Riyadh stock market plunged on growing investor jitters.
From tech tycoons to media giants, a host of Western companies are now distancing themselves from the Gulf state, imperiling Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's much-hyped economic reform drive.
US President Donald Trump has threatened the kingdom with ''severe punishment'' if Khashoggi, who has been critical of Prince Mohammed, was killed inside its Istanbul mission.
But Riyadh vowed to hit back on
WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Donald Trump said in an interview airing Sunday that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis ''could be'' leaving, referring to him as ''sort of a Democrat.''
Mattis, seen as one of the steadiest but also more independent members of Trump's cabinet, has served as a lowprofile counterweight to the president in his often abrasive treatment of US allies.
In an interview to be aired Sunday on CBS's ''60 Minutes,'' Trump was asked whether he wanted Mattis to leave.
''It could be that he is. I think he's sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth,'' Trump said, according to an excerpt released by CBS. ''But General Mattis is a good guy. We get along very Sunday against any punitive measures.
''The kingdom affirms its total rejection of any threats or attempts to undermine it whether through threats to impose economic sanctions or the use of political pressure,'' an official said, according to state news agency SPA.
The official said Riyadh would ''respond to any action with a bigger one'', pointing out that the oil superpower ''plays an effective and vital role in the world economy''.
According to Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television, the kingdom has ''over 30 measures'' it could implement.
Following Riyadh's assertion it would retaliate, Britain, France and Germany released a joint statement well. He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves.''
Trump said he had lunch with Mattis two days earlier and the retired Marine four-star general had not told him that he was leaving.
Rumors that Mattis's days as defense chief are numbered have circulated since a book by journalist Bob Woodward about Trump's chaotic White House said the general had questioned Trump's judgment, likening his understanding to that of a 10- or 11-year-old child.
''Of course, I don't think about leaving,'' Mattis told Pentagon reporters last month. ''I love it here.''
Trump's comments come as he eyes another cabinet shakeup.
Last week, his ambassador to saying they were treating Khashoggi's disappearance ''with the utmost seriousness.''
''There needs to be a credible investigation to establish the truth about what happened, and – if relevant – to identify those bearing responsibility for the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi and ensure that they are held to account.''
This message had been conveyed ''directly to the Saudi authorities,'' said the statement, signed by Britain's foreign minister Jeremy Hunt, his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian and Germany's Heiko Maas.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, vanished after entering the consulate on October 2. the United Nations, Nikki Haley, announced her resignation, effective at the end of the year.
She gave no reason for the surprise move, but observers have noted that the ascension of John Bolton as national security adviser and Mike Pompeo as secretary of state have shifted the power dynamics on Trump's national security team.
In the ''60 Minutes'' interview, Trump alluded to upcoming changes in his cabinet.
''I'm changing things around. And I'm entitled to. I have people now on standby that will be phenomenal. They'll come into the administration, they'll be phenomenal,'' Trump said.
''I think we have a great cabinet. There're some people that I'm not happy with. I have some people that I'm not thrilled with. And I have other people that I'm beyond thrilled with,'' he said.