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TURKEY-UN-SAUDI-DIPLOMACY-KHASHOGGI
UN judicial expert in Turkey to probe Khashoggi murder
ANKARA, Jan 28, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut
Cavusoglu on Monday met with a UN judicial expert who is looking into the
murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi as Ankara calls for an
international inquiry.
The UN special rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary
executions, Agnes Callamard, will be in Turkey until Saturday for a series of
meetings with authorities including the Istanbul chief prosecutor.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and Saudi regime critic, was
murdered on October 2 in Turkey in what Riyadh called a “rogue” operation,
tipping the kingdom into one of its worst diplomatic crises.
Turkish authorities have called for an international probe into the
killing which took place at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, complaining of
Saudi Arabia’s failure to cooperate.
“Met with @AgnesCallamard, #UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial
Executions, who is in #Turkey to investigate the murder of Jamal Khashoggi,”
Cavusoglu wrote on Twitter, sharing a picture from his meeting in Ankara.
In an interview with Turkish media last week, Cavusoglu said the Khashoggi
case was “not a part of bilateral ties” with Riyadh.
“We believe this case should be brought to the international arena,” he
said. “It is time for an international probe.”
Nearly four months later, the whereabouts of Khashoggi’s body remains
unknown and Turkish officials accuse Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of
orchestrating the killing — an allegation Saudi authorities categorically
refute.
Earlier this month a trial of 11 accused in the murder opened in Saudi
Arabia with the attorney general seeking the death penalty for five
defendants.
During her mission, Callemard is due to meet with Justice Minister
Abdulhamit Gul and Istanbul chief prosecutor Irfan Fidan, state-run Anadolu
news agency reported.
BSS/AFP/RY/1845 hrs