Saudi meets growing skepticism

International community urges a thorough and transparent probe

Saudi Arabia faced a growing chorus of inquiry on Sunday as answers were demanded on the whereabouts of the body of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi after Riyadh admitted he was killed inside its consulate in Turkey.

Saudi Arabia claimed early on Saturday that Khashoggi died in a brawl but did not provide any details or the whereabouts of the journalist's body.

Meanwhile, 18 Saudi suspects were taken into custody and intelligence officials had been fired.

Turkey vowed later to reveal all the details of a twoweek inquiry as US President Donald Trump said he was unsatisfied with Saudi Arabia's response to Khashoggi's death while the EU, Germany, France, Britain, Australia, Canada and the UN also demanded greater clarity.

"It's not possible for the Saudi administration to get rid of this crime if it's confirmed," deputy head of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (or AKP), Numan Kurtulmus, was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying on Saturday.

"Turkey will reveal whatever happened. No one should have doubts about that," Omer Celik, AKP's spokesman, told reporters.

Khashoggi, a journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate on Oct 2.

New Zealand is among the latest countries to question Riyadh's version of events, announcing that it won't be attending a key investment summit held by Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

The European Union on Sunday urged a "continued thorough, credible and transparent investigation" on the high-profile case, adding the continuing probe should bring "proper clarity on the circumstances of the killing and ensuring full accountability of all those responsible for it".

United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric says UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "stresses the need for a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Khashoggi's death and full accountability for those responsible".

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said many questions remained unanswered while German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged transparency, adding that "available reports on what happened in the Istanbul consulate are insufficient".

"We condemn the act with utmost sharpness. We expect transparency from Saudi Arabia in light of the circumstances of the death and the background," said a statement issued by Merkel and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

The United Kingdom on Sunday also said Saudi Arabia's account of the death of Khashoggi was not credible and the culprits must be "held to account".

'Not satisfied'

Trump initially said he found the explanation credible, but later expressed more skepticism by saying that he needs to learn more about the killing and will be working with Congress on the US response.

Asked during a trip to Nevada if he was satisfied that Saudi officials had been fired over Khashoggi's death, Trump said: "No, I am not satisfied until we find the answer. But it was a big first step, it was a good first step. But I want to get to the answer."

In an interview with The Washington Post, Trump said that "obviously there's been deception, and there's been lies".

The United Arab Emirates welcomed the Saudi disclosures, as did Egypt, Kuwait and Oman.

Despite overshadowed by the Khashoggi case, Saudi Arabia will host a key investment summit on Tuesday, dubbed "Davos in the desert", while dozens of companies executives - from bankers JP Morgan to carmaker Ford and ride-hailing app Uber - scrapped their plans to attend.

AFP, Xinhua and AP contributed to this story.

(China Daily 10/22/2018 page11)