Sunday, April 2, 2023
British Herald
Advertisement
  • Home
  • World
    • UK
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Oceania
    • USA
    • Middle East
    • Latin America
  • Politics
  • Business
    • ECONOMY
    • Financial Markets
    • Companies
  • Sport
  • Fintech
  • Videos
  • Coffee Table Book
  • BH Magazine
  • More
    • Health
    • Entertainment
    • Science & Technology
    • Climate & Environment
    • Sustainability
    • Food and Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture and Lifestyle
    • Articles
    • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
British Herald
  • Home
  • World
    • UK
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Oceania
    • USA
    • Middle East
    • Latin America
  • Politics
  • Business
    • ECONOMY
    • Financial Markets
    • Companies
  • Sport
  • Fintech
  • Videos
  • Coffee Table Book
  • BH Magazine
  • More
    • Health
    • Entertainment
    • Science & Technology
    • Climate & Environment
    • Sustainability
    • Food and Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture and Lifestyle
    • Articles
    • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
British Herald
Home World USA

Trump stands by Saudi prince despite journalist Khashoggi’s murder

Editorial Bureau by Editorial Bureau
November 21, 2018
0
Trump stands by Saudi prince despite journalist Khashoggi’s murder

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the news media while walking to board Marine One to depart for travel to Mar-a-Lago from the White House in Washington, U.S., November 20, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis

74
SHARES
1.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump vowed on Tuesday to remain a “steadfast partner” of Saudi Arabia despite saying that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may have known about the plan to murder dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi last month.

You might also like

Army accused of holding back info on missing students in Mexico

Trump Indictment: A case as weak as ‘Zombie’ Case

Donald Trump indicted over hush money ; 1st ex-President charged with crime

Defying intense pressure from U.S. lawmakers to impose tougher sanctions on Saudi Arabia, Trump also said he would not cancel military contracts with the kingdom. He said it would be a “foolish” move that would only benefit Russia and China, competitors of the United States in the arms market.

Trump said U.S. intelligence agencies were still studying the evidence around Khashoggi’s killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 and who planned it. Since the murder, Trump has taken varying positions on how to react, including possible sanctions.

But on Tuesday, Trump stressed Saudi Arabia’s weapons purchases and its role in keeping world oil prices low as influencing his decision.

“It’s all about, for me, very simple. It’s America first,” Trump said, adding: “I’m not going to destroy the world economy and I’m not going to destroy the economy for our country by being foolish with Saudi Arabia.”

Speaking at the White House to reporters before departing for Florida, Trump said of the possibility that the Saudi crown prince had a hand in the murder: “Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t” and argued that the CIA had not made a definitive determination.

His comments contradicted the CIA, which believes Khashoggi’s death was ordered directly by the crown prince, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler widely known by his initials MbS.

Trump was accused by Democratic lawmakers of undermining his own intelligence agencies and failing to confront Saudi Arabia over a human rights atrocity.

“Human rights is more than just a phrase, it has to mean something. And that means standing up and condemning a brazen murder by a foreign government. Everyone who played a role in this killing must be held accountable,” Senator Dianne Feinstein said.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers have urged Trump to drop his support for MbS over the Khashoggi case, but the president has been reluctant.

Trump said on Tuesday that both Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and MbS “vigorously deny any knowledge of the planning or execution of the murder,” and that the truth may never be known.

After offering numerous contradictory explanations for Khashoggi’s disappearance, Riyadh said last week he had been killed and his body dismembered when “negotiations” to convince him to return to Saudi Arabia failed. It said allegations the prince had ordered the killing were false.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in Washington on Tuesday that Turkey was not entirely satisfied with the level of cooperation it was receiving from Riyadh on Khashoggi’s murder and may seek a formal United Nations inquiry.

Republican and Democratic leaders of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee said they had asked Trump for a second human rights probe over Khashoggi’s killing.

Similarly, Representative Francis Rooney, a Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Washington should apply the so-called Magnitsky Act to those responsible for Khashoggi’s death.

The law freezes U.S. assets of human rights violators and prohibits Americans from doing business with them.

REGIONAL PARTNER

Trump said Saudi Arabia, a major oil producer, was an important business partner and a “great ally” in the fight against Iranian power in the Middle East.

“The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region,” Trump said.

On Twitter, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said of a White House statement: “Mr. Trump bizarrely devotes the FIRST paragraph of his shameful statement on Saudi atrocities to accuse IRAN of every sort of malfeasance he can think of.”

U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, who is expected to become leader of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee in January, said the United States should immediately end support for Saudi Arabia in the Yemen war, suspend arms sales and reduce its reliance on Riyadh in the Middle East.

Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government, lived in the United States and was a Washington Post columnist. He went to the consulate to collect documents for a planned marriage.

BROAD BACKING FOR A U.S. RESPONSE

Trump has placed the alliance with Saudi Arabia at the heart of his Middle East policy, and it was the first country he visited after becoming president in 2017.

Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, has developed a close relationship with MbS.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a sometime Trump ally, said there would be bipartisan support for sanctions against Saudi Arabia, “including appropriate members of the royal family, for this barbaric act which defied all civilized norms.”

Representative Eliot Engel, who has the power to block arms deals as the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Washington should use its ability to sell weapons to the Saudis as leverage to influence Riyadh’s behaviour.

“The reality is that the Saudis couldn’t simply buy their weapons somewhere else,” Engel said in a statement. “It would take years for the Saudi military to re-equip with Russian or Chinese weapons.”

When Trump mentions the $110 billion package with Riyadh last year, he often adds that “it’s 500,000 jobs.”

But arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp  predicts the deal could create nearly 10,000 jobs in Saudi Arabia, while keeping up to 18,000 existing U.S. workers busy if the whole package comes together – an outcome industry experts say is unlikely.

Asked on Tuesday whether he was putting personal business interests over those of the United States, Trump said: “I have nothing to do with Saudi – just so you understand, I don’t make deals with Saudi Arabia. I don’t have money from Saudi Arabia.”

At a political rally in 2015, however, Trump said: “I like the Saudis, they’re very nice. I make a lot of money with them. They buy all sorts of my stuff, all kinds of toys from Trump. They pay me millions and hundreds of millions.”

(Reporting by Mike Stone; Additional reporting by David Alexander, Susan Heavey, Mohammad Zargham, Patricia Zengerle and Richard Cowan; Editing by Grant McCool and Peter Cooney)

Share30Tweet19
Editorial Bureau

Editorial Bureau

Recommended For You

Army accused of holding back info on missing students in Mexico

April 1, 2023
Army accused of holding back info on missing students in Mexico

An independent committee investigating the disappearance of 43 students of Mexico in 2014 has accused the armed forces. That too stating the force withheld information about the case...

Read more

Trump Indictment: A case as weak as ‘Zombie’ Case

April 1, 2023
Trump case

Details of Thursday's indictment remain secret. Critics believe Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is reviving a dormant "zombie case" that has been sitting in his office for years....

Read more

Donald Trump indicted over hush money ; 1st ex-President charged with crime

March 31, 2023
donald trump

On March 31, prosecutors and defence lawyers announced that a Manhattan grand jury had indicted Donald Trump, making him the first former U.S. President to face a criminal...

Read more

Permit to buy handguns no longer required in North Carolina

March 30, 2023
Handgun

The Republican-controlled legislature in North Carolina has overridden the Democratic governor’s veto, allowing residents to buy handguns without a permit from a local sheriff. This eliminates the longstanding...

Read more

US Air Force admits to another ARRW hypersonic missile test failure

March 29, 2023
US Air Force admits to another ARRW hypersonic missile test failure

On Tuesday, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall told lawmakers that the hypersonic weapon test conducted by the US Air Force on March 13th was a failure....

Read more
No Result
View All Result
Burkina Faso expels reporters from France’s Le Monde

Burkina Faso expels reporters from France’s Le Monde

April 2, 2023
UK travelers face hours-long waits for ferries to France

UK travelers face hours-long waits for ferries to France

April 2, 2023
Rumble

The Right-Wing Video Site Rumble Expands, as Does Misinformation

April 2, 2023

Tags

amazon australia boris johnson brexit britain British Herald CHINA Coronavirus coronavirus cases coronavirus outbreak COVID-19 COVID-19 Vaccine daily roundup Donald Trump Dubai expo 2020 england European Union facebook France germany Hong Kong india iran israel italy japan joe biden lockdown London new zealand north korea Rishi Sunak russia south korea spain T20 T20 World Cup taiwan thailand trending Trump turkey UK Ukraine usa
British Herald

Top News in World: Read Latest News on Sports, Business, Entertainment, Blogs and Opinions from leading columnists.

CATEGORIES

  • Africa
  • Articles
  • Asia
  • Brand Feature
  • Business
  • Climate & Environment
  • Companies
  • Crypto
  • Culture and Lifestyle
  • Daily Roundup
  • Economics
  • ECONOMY
  • edel
  • Entertainment
  • Europe
  • Fashion
  • Finance
  • Financial Markets
  • Fintech
  • Health
  • IN UK 01
  • IN UK 02
  • Investing
  • Latin America
  • Market
  • Middle East
  • nsp
  • Oceania
  • Opinion
  • Pharma/BioTech
  • Politics
  • Reviews
  • Science & Technology
  • Sport
  • Sustainability
  • Tech
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • UK
  • Uncategorized
  • USA
  • Videos
  • World

BROWSE BY TAGS

amazon australia boris johnson brexit britain British Herald CHINA Coronavirus coronavirus cases coronavirus outbreak COVID-19 COVID-19 Vaccine daily roundup Donald Trump Dubai expo 2020 england European Union facebook France germany Hong Kong india iran israel italy japan joe biden lockdown London new zealand north korea Rishi Sunak russia south korea spain T20 T20 World Cup taiwan thailand trending Trump turkey UK Ukraine usa

Herald Media Network Limited (UK). 2023. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World
    • UK
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Oceania
    • USA
    • Middle East
    • Latin America
  • Politics
  • Business
    • ECONOMY
    • Financial Markets
    • Companies
  • Sport
  • Fintech
  • Videos
  • Coffee Table Book
  • BH Magazine
  • More
    • Health
    • Entertainment
    • Science & Technology
    • Climate & Environment
    • Sustainability
    • Food and Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture and Lifestyle
    • Articles
    • Opinion

Herald Media Network Limited (UK). 2023. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?