May Pressures MBS over Khashoggi’s Death

Local Editor    

Theresa May has piled pressure on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and called on the royal to take action to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents. 

May had promised to be “tough” with the prince during their private meeting in Buenos Aires at the G20 summit, although a Downing Street spokesperson did not say whether the prime minister asked him directly about the US’s suspicion that he personally ordered the murder of Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October.

Her aides said she had “stressed the importance of ensuring that those responsible for the appalling murder” were held to account and that “Saudi Arabia takes action to build confidence that such a deplorable incident could not happen again”.

The PM also encouraged the royal “to ensure that Saudi Arabia cooperated fully with the Turkish authorities and worked to bring both investigations to an acceptable close”, they added. 

On Yemen, they said “the prime minister set out the urgent need to bring an end to the conflict and bring relief to millions threatened by famine”.

Emmanuel Macron had earlier put pressure on May to fight harder for the truth behind the killing of Khashoggi, by demanding an international investigation.

The French president’s call – as he confronted the prince at the summit – appeared to blindside No 10, ahead of the prime minister’s meeting with the prince.

Macron also raised the stakes by saying the European Union would insist on international experts being part of the investigation into the murder.

A Downing Street spokesperson said May “stressed that the humanitarian situation remained dire and reaffirmed UK commitment to making progress on improving the situation, including through a UN Security Council Resolution.”

They added: “May reiterated UK support for Saudi Arabia’s security, including the very real threats posed by Iranian interference in Yemen.”

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team