RIYADH – Saudi Arabia scrambled Monday to prepare for an investment summitafter a string of cancellations from global business titans, with Turkey’sthreat to reveal the “naked truth” over critic Jamal Khashoggi’s murdercasting a fresh shadow.
Starting on Tuesday, the three-day Future Investment Initiative (FII) wasmeant to project the historically insular petro-state as a lucrativebusiness destination as it seeks to diversify and set the stage for newventures and multi-billion dollar contracts.
But the summit, nicknamed “Davos in the desert”, has been overshadowed bygrowing global outrage over the murder of Khashoggi inside the kingdom’sconsulate in Istanbul.
The chief executive of German industrial conglomerate Siemens Joe Kaeserwas the latest among dozens of global executives to withdraw from thesummit, hosted by the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund.
Video: Saudi Arabia Acknowledges Khashoggi Died in Consulate, DeniesResponsibility
“It’s the cleanest decision but not the most courageous one,” Kaeser wrotein a post on social network LinkedIn of his choice not to attend FII.
“For now, the truth must be found and justice must be served.”
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Ministers from the United States, Britain and France, which have hugedefence deals at stake with Saudi Arabia, have already pulled out of thesummit.
Corporate honchos from JP Morgan to carmaker Ford and ride-hailing appUber, as well as media powerhouses like Bloomberg, CNN and the FinancialTimes have also scrapped plans to attend.
Organisers have taken down a list of speakers from its website and onMonday refused to confirm the number of attendees.
One government source said the list of speakers and moderators was not yetfinalised as many continued to drop out at a “rapid pace”. – APP/AFP
