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Turkey to search consulate as Saudi king denies knowing Khashoggi fate
ISTANBUL, Oct 15, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Turkish investigators were on Monday to
search the Saudi consulate in Istanbul for the first time since journalist
Jamal Khashoggi disappeared, as King Salman denied any knowledge of his fate
in talks with Donald Trump.
Khashoggi, a Saudi national and US resident who became increasingly
critical of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has not been seen
since he walked into the Istanbul consulate to sort out marriage paperwork on
October 2.
Turkish officials have said they believe he was killed — a claim Saudi
Arabia has denied — with the controversy dealing a huge blow to the
kingdom’s image and efforts by its youthful crown prince to showcase a reform
drive.
After speaking by phone with Salman, Trump said the king denied having any
knowledge of what happened, with the US president suggesting “rogue killers”
could be to blame and dispatching Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the
kingdom.
Until now, Riyadh has not allowed investigators to search the consulate —
officially Saudi territory — with reports both sides were at odds over the
conditions.
But a Turkish diplomatic source said the search, a joint operation with
Saudi authorities, was expected to “take place towards the evening” on
Monday.
Dozens of media organisations — some of whom had set up tents — have kept
a constant vigil outside the consulate in the expectation that the search
would finally begin.
Cleaners were seen entering the building around lunchtime, causing a minor
flurry of excitement, an AFP reporter said.
And the Saudi delegation which is due to join the search arrived at the
city’s police headquarters, Turkish television said.
– ‘No-one can undermine ties –
Trump’s conversation with King Salman, father of the crown prince, was the
first such talks since the crisis erupted.
“Just spoke to the King of Saudi Arabia who denies any knowledge of
whatever may have happened ‘to our Saudi Arabian citizen’,” Trump MORE/FI/
2032 hrstweeted. Riyadh’s most recent comments have focused on having no
knowledge of any killing or denying any such order had been given.
MORE/FI/ 2032 hrs
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“The denial was very, very strong,” Trump later told reporters at the
White House. “It sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue
killers. Who knows?”
Trump said Pompeo was on his way to Saudi Arabia within the hour to discuss
the controversy.
News that the consulate was to be searched emerged after President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan and King Salman also had their first telephone talks since the
controversy erupted, in what appeared to be a conciliatory conversation
according to official readouts.
While lurid claims have appeared in Turkish media — including that
Khashoggi was tortured and dismembered — the Turkish leadership has so far
refrained from pointing the finger directly at Riyadh in public comments.
Salman emphasised the importance of the Turkey-Saudi relationship and said
no-one should be able to “undermine the strength of this relationship,”
Saudi’s official media reported.
– ‘Davos in Desert’ unravels –
The controversy has troubled Saudi’s traditional Western allies — who are
key arms suppliers to the kingdom — and also undermined efforts by Mohammed
bin Salman to present himself as a modernising ruler.
An investment conference seen as a platform for the crown prince and known
as “Davos in the Desert” which was scheduled to take place in Riyadh next
week, has been hit by a string of prominent cancellations.
Business barons including British billionaire Richard Branson and Uber CEO
Dara Khosrowshahi, as well as media powerhouses Bloomberg and CNN, have
pulled out of the Future Investment Initiative (FII).
And in a major new blow for the event, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and
Ford chairman Bill Ford also cancelled plans to attend, CNBC reported.
A section on the glitzy event website with pictures of the speakers has now
been taken down.
Saudi stocks have also been hit, suffering days of heavy losses, but made a
strong comeback on Monday with the Tadawul All-Shares Index (TASI) rising
over four percent
Trump has threatened the kingdom with “severe punishment” if it is shown
that Khashoggi was killed inside its Istanbul mission.
But Riyadh on Sunday vowed to hit back against any punitive measures while
Trump has also made clear he is reluctant to curb all-important arms sales to
Saudi Arabia.
Britain, France and Germany also released a rare joint statement saying
they were treating Khashoggi’s disappearance “with the utmost seriousness”
and calling for a “credible investigation”.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 2034 hrs