Pompeo meets Erdogan in Ankara after talks with Saudis on missing journalist

FARSNEWS2018/10/17
Blackmail?: Saudi Arabia Delivers $100mln to Washington as US Diplomat Lands in Riyadh over Missing Journalist Case
TEHRAN (FNA)- Month after Saudi Arabia promised the Donald Trump administration $100 million for "American efforts to stabilize areas in Syria liberated from Daesh", the money landed in American accounts on Tuesday, the same day that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, for discussions with the kingdom’s leaders about the fate of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The timing of the money’s arrival raised speculations that whether Washington is trying to cover-up Riyadh's role in the alleged murder of the Saudi writer, as US President Donald Trump has once again risen to the defense of the Saudi government over the mysterious disappearance of Khashoggi, saying that pinning the blame on Riyadh before knowing all the facts is yet another case of "guilty until proven innocent”.

“The timing of this is no coincidence,” an American official involved in Syria policy said, speaking on condition of anonymity, according to The New Yotk Times. The official confirmed that the money arrived on Tuesday.

Trump has shifted his views several times since Khashoggi has been missing in early October, when he visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents needed for his upcoming marriage.

Last Week, Trump said there would be "severe punishment" for Riyadh if it turns out that the WaPo writer was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. But he appeared to reject possible sanctions, saying that he is not willing to throw away billions of dollars in military deals with Riyadh over the suspected murder of Khashoggi. He defended a $110 billion arms deal he announced with Riyadh last year and insisting that the deal was worth 450,000 jobs inside the United States.

Later, the American leader suggested "rogue killers" could be responsible for Khashoggi's mysterious disappearance, an explanation offering Washington ally Riyadh a possible path out of a global diplomatic firestorm.

Meanwhile, US media reported that Saudi Arabia eyes "rogue killer" theory, noting that Saudi royal court will soon put out a narrative that an official within the kingdom's intelligence services - who happens to be a friend of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman - carried out journalist's killing.

Trump also cited King Salman of Saudi Arabia and his son's firm denial that Riyadh had anything to do with the situation − despite the fact that Ankara claims to possess evidence proving the journalist was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey.

US intelligence had revealed that the crown prince ordered an operation to detain missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi after luring him back to Saudi Arabia, according to The Washington Post. US officials speaking on the condition of anonymity told The Washington Post that Salman and other Saudi officials tried to get Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia, where he is from, with offers of government employment and protection.

Analyst say Trump’s friendly policy toward Saudi Arabia has caused its leaders to believe they face no consequences for their actions − especially Riyadh war crimes in Yemen. They believe that Trump and senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner’s embrace of the Saudi leadership has led the crown prince to feel he is immune from American pressure and criticism.

As the cover-up attempt by the American leader shows there is a deep and inviolable strategic bond between the United States and the oil-rich kingdom, Analysts stress that it’s the best time for Washington to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for its reckless behavior and its violations of human rights, and cutting off its weapons supply. They state that the US should move to sanction Saudi Arabia over the Khashoggi killing if its rhetoric about human rights had any substance.

Meantime, a group of Republican and Democrat senators united to demand an investigation into the disappearance of Khashoggi, which could lead to sanctions against Saudi Arabia within 120 days.

Last year, the US president signed the largest arms deal in history with Saudi Arabia despite warnings that he could be accused of being complicit in the regime's war crimes in Yemen. During Trump's visit to Riyadh in May 2017, Saudi Arabia agreed to buy $US110 billion of weapons and signed "investment" deals worth billions more. The kingdom has one of the highest rates of spending on its military in the world, which stood at 10.3 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2017, according to World Bank data.

RT2018/10/17
Pompeo meets Erdogan in Ankara after talks with Saudis on missing journalist
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Wednesday following talks with Saudi Arabia’s King and Crown Prince about the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said that Pompeo would bring information about the case to Ankara, two weeks after Khashoggi vanished when he visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to collect documents for his planned marriage. Pompeo told reporters that Saudi Arabia has committed to conducting a complete investigation into Khashoggi’s disappearance, Reuters reports.

FARSNEWS2018/10/16
Jamal Khashoggi Case: US Secretary of State Touches Down in Saudi Arabia, to Visit Turkey
TEHRAN (FNA)- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Saudi Arabia for talks with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman over the disappearance of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as reports emerged that Riyadh was poised to acknowledge that the WaPo writer was killed in its consulate in Turkey.

Pompeo landed in Riyadh on Tuesday morning and was due to meet the Saudi king immediately to discuss the crisis surrounding Khashoggi, who vanished two weeks ago during a visit to the Istanbul consulate, World News reported.

Pompeo will also meet with the crown prince later on Tuesday, AFP news agency reported, quoting an unnamed US official.

Also, the secretary of state will visit Turkey after his meeting with King Salman over the disappearance of the journalist. according to the reports, Pompeo will come to Turkey on Wednesday and expected to meet his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

CNN and The New York Times, meanwhile, have in separate reports suggested that Riyadh is preparing to announce that Khashoggi was killed after his interrogation at the consulate “went wrong".

According to reports, the crown prince approved an interrogation or rendition of Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia, but the intelligence official was tragically incompetent as he eagerly sought to prove himself. He then tried to cover up the botched handling of the situation.

US President Donald Trump stated Monday that he believes it is possible that “rogue killers” could be responsible for the disappearance of Khashoggi.

Speaking to journalists outside the White House about Khashoggi’s disappearance, Trump said “it sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue killers. Who knows?”.

Offering the rogue killer theory, Trump cited King Salman of Saudi Arabia’s “firm” denial that Riyadh had anything to do with the situation − despite the fact that Ankara claims to possess evidence proving the journalist was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey.

“[King Salman’s] denial to me could not have been stronger,” Trump told reporters.

Earlier, Trump announced that he was sending Pompeo to Riyadh and “other places if necessary” to figure out what has happened to Khashoggi.

Khashoggi has been missing since October 2, when he visited the Saudi Arabia's Consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents needed for his upcoming marriage. Turkish sources declared that they believe the Saudi writer and critic was killed inside the consulate in what they describe as "premeditated murder". Saudi officials have countered that claim, insisting Khashoggi left the building before vanishing.

Turkish Official: Ankara Has 11 Minute Audio Track of 'Khashoggi Assault'

FARSNEWS2018/10/17
Arab Daily: Washington, Riyadh, Ankara Striking Deal on Khashoggi's Case
TEHRAN (FNA)- A leading Arab newspaper said events in the past few days indicate that a deal is in the offing among the US, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to whitewash accusations against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after his order to murder prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"Some signs of a political deal among Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the US in Khassogi's assassination case have appeared in the past three days," the Arabic-language al-Ahd wrote on Wednesday.

It questioned the reason for a delay in declaring the results of investigations into Khashoggi's case, and added, "Possibly they want to implement a plot like Lockerby case and say that three people abducted Khashoggi and then put them on trial to exonerate bin Salman."

This is while the Turkish sources and the US media have reported that bin Salman has directly issued the order to murder Khashoggi and Washington is in possession of a recorded voice of the Saudi crown prince in which he gives necessary orders for killing Khashoggi, al-Ahd wrote.

An official said on Tuesday that the Turkish police had found evidence inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul which confirmed that Khashoggi was killed in the building.

The "high level official" spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity, but stated that police had found "certain evidence" that Khashoggi had died in the building. The official did not provide any more details about the evidence uncovered by police.

Also, a senior Turkish official told Reuters news agency that the investigators had gathered evidence, including soil sample.

“The Turkish crime scene investigators carried out searches in the consulate and took the things deemed necessary,” the unnamed official stated.

A team of Turkish police investigating journalist's disappearance left the Saudi consulate building in Istanbul on Tuesday. The investigators entered the consulate late on Monday. The forensic team spent nine hours looking for clues and DNA samples which could shed light on the mysterious vanishing of Khashoggi who Ankara believes was assassinated at the diplomatic mission.

Speculations that the Saudis might have destroyed crucial evidence at the site were fueled by footage showing two women and a man bringing cleaning gear through the front door of the Istanbul consulate. Coincidence or not, the “cleaners” entered the building on the day when a joint team of Turkish and Saudi experts were to search the mission.

The case has shocked the international community amid reports that the journalist has been murdered in an operation ordered by Riyadh.

US media suggested that Riyadh is preparing to announce that Khashoggi was killed after his interrogation at the consulate “went wrong". According to reports, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman approved an interrogation or rendition of Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia, but the intelligence official was tragically incompetent as he eagerly sought to prove himself. He then tried to cover up the botched handling of the situation.

Khashoggi, known for his criticism of Saudi Arabia's policies, went missing on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain a marriage document. Ankara has accused Riyadh of murdering the Khashoggi and smuggling his body out of the consulate in pieces. Saudi Arabia has denied the charges as “baseless", stressing that the journalist left the consulate shortly after he arrived, without providing any evidence.