France is ready to back "international
sanctions" against those responsible for the murder of Saudi journalist
Jamal Khashoggi, the Elysee Palace said on Wednesday following a
telephone conversation between President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi King
Salman
The French president "informed (King Salman) of his profound indignation
at the crime and demanded that all possible light be shone on the
circumstances that led to this drama", his office said in a statement
quoted by AFP.
Khashoggi has been missing since October 2, when he was last seen
entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The Turkish government has
accused Saudi Arabia of murdering the dissident journalist and chopping
his body into pieces.
Saudi Arabia admitted for the first time on Friday that Khashoggi was
killed after entering the consulate in Istanbul, after previously
denying Turkish claims that he was murdered.
Khashoggi, who was also a US citizen and a contributor to The Washington
Post, was a fierce critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and
his policies.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Sunday said the killing at the
Saudi consulate in Istanbul was not ordered by the Crown Prince and
insisted that the kingdom did not know where Khashoggi’s body was.
Macron told the Saudi king that France's main priority was "defending
freedom of expression, freedom of the press and of the public. France
will not hesitate to take international sanctions, together with its
international partners, against the guilty", Wednesday’s statement said,
according to AFP.
The crown prince on Wednesday called the killing "repulsive". Western
countries have demanded a thorough and transparent investigation.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday ramped up his rhetoric against
Saudi Arabia over the death of Khashoggi, describing the kingdom’s
efforts to hide the journalist’s killing as the “worst cover-up ever.”
The United States has threatened sanctions if the Saudi leadership is
linked to the murder, and on Tuesday revoked the visas of 21 Saudi
nationals implicated in the crime.
France said earlier Wednesday it would take "punitive measures" if Saudi Arabia is "proven" to be behind the murder.
https://www.geezgo.com/sps/44172
Join
Geezgo for free. Use Geezgo's end-to-end encrypted Chat with your
Closenets (friends, relatives, colleague etc) in personalized ways.>>
Post a Comment