BFF-21 Erdogan presses Riyadh for footage of missing journalist

246

ZCZC

BFF-21

TURKEY-SAUDI-POLITICS

Erdogan presses Riyadh for footage of missing journalist

ANKARA, Oct 11, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pressed
Saudi Arabia on Thursday to release images that prove Riyadh’s claim missing
journalist Jamal Khashoggi left the Saudi consulate in Istanbul alive, vowing
Turkey would “not remain silent” in the mystery over his fate.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, vanished on October 2 after he
went to the consulate to obtain official documents for his upcoming marriage.

Saudi Arabia has insisted the journalist left the building safely. But
Turkish government sources said police believe Khashoggi was killed by an
assassination team sent to Istanbul.

The Saudi consulate has said CCTV cameras were not working that day and
has dismissed the murder claims as “baseless”.

But in comments to Turkish reporters travelling on his presidential plane,
Erdogan indicated that he did not find the Saudi explanations sufficient.

“Is it possible there were no camera systems in a consulate, in an
embassy? Is it possible that there was no Saudi camera system where this
incident took place?” Erdogan said, according to Hurriyet daily.

“If a bird flew, or a fly or a mosquito appeared, the systems would
capture this; they (Saudi Arabia) have the most cutting-edge systems,” he was
quoted as saying.

While unnamed Turkish officials quoted in the media have been giving
sometimes macabre details of the alleged murder, Erdogan has so far been more
circumspect.

He has said Saudi Arabia must prove its version of events but so far has
stopped short of directly accusing the kingdom or laying the blame on
powerful Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

“This is an incident which took place in our country. It’s not possible
for us to stay silent regarding an incident like this,” Erdogan said.

“It would not be right for me to make any comment at this moment. But we
have concerns.”

Turkish police are looking into a team of 15 Saudis who were at the
consulate at the same time as Khashoggi and arrived in Istanbul on October 2
on board two private planes.

The 15 have been described by Turkish media as an “assassination team” who
took the footage with them.

Khashoggi was a former government adviser who fled Saudi Arabia in
September 2017 and lived in the United States fearing arrest back home.

In his columns for the Washington Post and comments elsewhere, Khashoggi
was critical of some policies of Mohammed bin Salman as well as Riyadh’s role
in the war in Yemen.

BSS/AFP/FI/ 1428 hrs