CrossTalk
on Khashoggi: Search for justice
The gruesome plot thickens. There are reports Saudis now will admit Jamal Khashoggi died in their custody after an interrogation that went wrong. Turkish media claim they have evidence of intentional murder. Nonetheless, Trump declares that he is ‘not going to walk away’ from Saudi Arabia. Will there ever be justice for Jamal Khashoggi?
CrossTalking
with Joe Macaron and Colin S. Cavell.
The
major French daily Le Figaro on Thursday published a bombshell story
which reports the Saudi royal family is actively considering a
replacement to crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) as next in line
to succeed his father King Salman as the kingdom finds itself under
the greatest international pressure and scrutiny it's faced in its
modern history over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi —
widely believed to have been killed on orders of MbS himself.
The
Li Figaro report's unnamed diplomatic source says the Allegiance
Council, which is historically the body responsible for approving the
order of succession to the throne, is currently meeting in secret
(translation from the French):
For
several days, the Allegiance Council for the ruling Saudi family is
meeting in the utmost discretion, says a diplomatic source to Le
Figaro in Paris. The information has been confirmed by a Saudi
Arabian contacted in Riyadh. Composed of a delegate representing each
of the clans — at least seven — of the royal family, this body,
responsible for inheritance problems, examines the situation created
by the disappearance, still unresolved, more than a fortnight ago, of
the journalist dissident Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in
Istanbul.
U.S. Knew of Saudi Plan to Seize Missing Journalist, Post Says
U.S.
intelligence services intercepted communications of Saudi officials
discussing a plan to capture Saudi journalist and government critic
Jamal Khashoggi, whose disappearance in Turkey last week threatens to
damage the warm ties between the kingdom and Washington.
The
Saudis were discussing a plan to lure Khashoggi back to the kingdom,
The Washington Post reported, citing a person familiar with the
communications, which were intercepted before he vanished. Khashoggi,
a columnist for the newspaper, was last seen entering the Saudi
consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 and is feared to be detained or dead.
It
wasn’t clear whether the Saudis wanted to interrogate or kill him,
or whether the U.S. warned the journalist he was a target, the person
said.
A
Turkish official, speaking anonymously and without providing
evidence, has said the 59-year-old journalist was murdered by a
15-member team sent for the task. The Saudi government has denied the
allegation, but without producing any proof to back up Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman’s assertion that Khashoggi exited the building.
The
columnist’s disappearance has put further strains on Saudi Arabia’s
ties with Turkey, two Sunni-led powers in the Middle East at odds
over regional policy. But far more damaging to Saudi Arabia are
warnings by U.S. lawmakers that the kingdom could face economic and
other consequences if reports that he was harmed prove true.
Trump’s
Plan
President
Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he planned to contact Saudi
authorities over the case. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South
Carolina said it’s “imperative” that the Saudi government give
clear answers about what happened to Khashoggi.
“If
there was any truth to the allegations of wrongdoing by the Saudi
government it would be devastating to the US-Saudi relationship and
there will be a heavy price to be paid -- economically and
otherwise,” Graham wrote on Twitter. “Our country’s values
should be and must be a cornerstone of our foreign policy with foes
and allies alike.”
Khashoggi
had been living in self-imposed exile in the U.S. for the past year.
His disappearance rekindled concern about a crackdown on dissent in
the kingdom after a year in which Saudi authorities have detained
hundreds of businesspeople, royals, activists and clerics on grounds
of rooting out corruption, terrorism and other risks to national
security.
Legal
Proceedings
On
Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said Saudi
authorities had agreed to allow a search of the consulate. State-run
Anadolu Agency said two prosecutors have been assigned to carry out
“legal proceedings” at the building.
In
an email shared with reporters on Tuesday and described as a
“personal message,” Prince Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi
ambassador to the U.S., called Khashoggi a friend. Saudi Arabia has
sent its own security team to work with Turkish counterparts and
intends to “chase every lead to uncover the truth behind his
disappearance,” he said.
The
prince denied as “absolutely false” any suspicion that Saudi
agents might have detained or killed Khashoggi, and contended it was
“outrageous” to think he might have been “murdered in the
consulate, during business hours, and with dozens of staff and
visitors in the building.”
For
many years, Khashoggi had been the consummate Saudi insider,
hobnobbing with and advising royals before becoming a vocal critic of
their policies. His move to the U.S. was prompted by concerns he’d
be detained in Saudi Arabia or banned from travel as he became
increasingly alienated from the leadership.
In
government-aligned newspapers and on social media, many Saudis have
advanced a narrative that the accusations are part of an insidious
campaign to smear their country -- pointing fingers at Turkey, Qatar
and the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group that Saudi Arabia and
some of its Arab allies consider a terrorist organization.
Turkish
newspaper Sabah, without saying how it obtained the information,
reported that on the day Khashoggi went missing, two jets arrived
from Riyadh to Istanbul carrying 15 passengers, then returned home
later that day via Egypt and Dubai. While that story said Khashoggi
may have been murdered, another Sabah story said he may have been
taken out of the country on one of the jets.
Anadolu
reported that on Oct. 2, Turkish officials had searched a private jet
that came from Saudi Arabia and its passengers but didn’t find
anything.
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