RIYADH – Saudi Arabia acknowledged on Thursday that the murder ofjournalist Jamal Khashoggi appeared to have been premeditated, based oninformation from Turkey, as it sought to draw a line under the crisis.
It was the latest twist in the shifting official narrative of the October 2killing which US President Donald Trump has derided as “one of the worstcover-ups” in history.
The Saudi public prosecutor said he was making the latest assessment on thebasis of evidence supplied by Turkey which has been the source of the spateof grisly revelations about the government critic’s death that triggered aninternational outcry.
After first insisting Khashoggi left the consulate unharmed, Saudiauthorities said he was killed in an argument that degenerated into abrawl, then admitted he was murdered before finally accepting what Turkeyhad said virtually from the start — that he was killed in a premeditatedhit.
As the Saudi public prosecutor made the new admission on Thursday, TurkishForeign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Riyadh still needed to provideanswers to remaining questions, such as who ordered the hit and whathappened to Khashoggi’s body.
“Information from the Turkish authorities indicates that the act of thesuspects in the Khashoggi case was premeditated,” the office of publicprosecutor Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said in a statement carried by thestate-run Saudi Press Agency.
“The public prosecution continues its investigation with suspects… tocomplete the course of justice.”
The slow drip of admissions cast a pall over a showcase three-dayinvestment forum that was closing on Thursday with organisers putting abrave face on the array of no-shows among big-name guests.
The Saudi energy minister said foreign companies which boycotted the FutureInvestment Forum (FII) had “apologised” and vowed a return to normal ties.
“Some companies abstained from the conference due to political pressure asa result of an odious campaign directed from outside the kingdom which hasfailed,” Khalid al-Falih told state-run Al-Ekhbariya news channel.
“All the companies that abstained have been calling us during the past 48hours to apologise and express regret,” and vowed to open offices andrestore normal relations, Falih said.
– Turkey says questions remain –
Economy and Planning Minister Mohammed al-Tuwaijri told the conference thatSaudi oil giant Aramco was “absolutely ready” for its long-awaited massiveIPO although several regulatory procedures remained.
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The investment conference, dubbed “Davos in the desert”, aimed at drawingforeign investors to help Riyadh diversify its oil-reliant economy.
A long list of investors and international policymakers declined to show upin Riyadh over the Khashoggi murder.
Siemens chief executive Joe Kaeser, corporate chiefs from JP Morgan, Fordand Uber, and media powerhouses like CNN and the Financial Times allscrapped plans to attend.
Ministers from Britain and France and the United States also stayed away.
On Saturday, more than two weeks after Khashoggi’s disappearance, Riyadhsaid the Saudi journalist was murdered during “a brawl” inside thekingdom’s Istanbul consulate.
Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman denounced the”repulsive” murder and vowed justice will prevail, in his first publiccomments on the case at the investment forum on Wednesday.
Saudi authorities have also announced the arrest of 18 Saudis in connectionwith his death.
But “there are still questions that need answers” over the murder, theTurkish foreign minister said Thursday, demanding that Riyadh explain whythe 18 were arrested.
“Who gave them the orders?” Cavusoglu asked, pointing out that Khashoggi’sbody had still not been found.
“Where is (the body)? You admit they did it, but why are they not saying(where)?” he told a press conference in Ankara. – APP/AFP
