Ex-Ambassador Lists Three Reasons Why US Turning Up the Heat Over Khashoggi
Editor’s
note: Of course, America doesn’t have a credible president. It has
one that has sent Kushner to Saudi Arabia to secure financing for New
Jersey tenements, for Trump properties and to keep cash flowing to ISIS.
Then again, world markets can’t take Saudi sanctions while we go after Iran at the same time, on behalf of…Saudi Arabia.
While
the investigation into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal
Khashoggi continues, Saudi Arabia has been reproached by foreign
officials and media pundits over the case. Former British ambassador to
Syria Peter Ford explained why Washington had joined the chorus of
Riyadh’s critics.
After a few
days’ hesitation and cautious statements, Washington suddenly decided
to turn up the heat on Riyadh over the case of missing Saudi journalist
Jamal Khashoggi, former British ambassador to Syria Peter Ford told
Radio Sputnik.
According to him, there are several reasons behind Washington’s change of heart towards its longstanding Middle Eastern ally.
Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who has lived in self-imposed exile in the US since 2017, went missing on October 2 after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents needed for his upcoming marriage and presumably did not walk out.
Speaking to Bloomberg on October 5, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman addressed the issue, highlighting that Riyadh had started a dialogue with Ankara on the issue. At the time, rumors emerged that the journalist could be held in the building.
Saudi Arabia vehemently denied the accusations, saying that the journalist had left the building unharmed and provided access to Turkish investigators to search the place.
On October 12, the Saudi delegation arrived in Ankara to take part in the probe into the disappearance of the columnist.
Saudi Interior Minister Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef dismissed allegations regarding the supposed murder of the journalist as “lies,”
stressing that the accusations actually targeted the Saudi
government.The Khashoggi case hit the headlines immediately, bringing it
into the focus of worldwide attention.
During an October 10 press conference in the White House, President Donald Trump highlighted that the White House was “very disappointed” with the scandal.
While the UK, France and Turkey raised their voices against the Saudi kingdom, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates signaled their support for Riyadh with regard to the media fuss over Khashoggi’s missing.
According to him, there are several reasons behind Washington’s change of heart towards its longstanding Middle Eastern ally.
“I
think there is a background here of friction in the US-Saudi
relationship in recent months. We’ve seen this a pro po of the American
wish to get more Saudi funding for the American de facto occupation
of northern Syria. The Saudis have been very reluctant to pay for the
running of that 30 percent of Syria which is effectively controlled
by the Americans with their Kurdish proxy militia allies.”
He
presumed that the second reason was the “Saudis’ unwillingness to pump
more oil to compensate for the Iranian oil which is going to disappear
from the international market because of American sanctions.”
The
diplomat continued that “another major reason for tension and thirdly,
possibly, what the Americans would see as insufficient support for Jared
Kushner’s much-touted peace in the Middle East plan. The Saudis would
have been unwilling to go as far as the Americans wanted on forcing the
Palestinians to make concessions.”
“All
these reasons together, I think, gave the Americans an incentive to let
the dogs off the leash,” he summarized.Ford opined that the
disappearance of the journalist “put everybody involved under lots
of pressure, not least the United States.”
Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who has lived in self-imposed exile in the US since 2017, went missing on October 2 after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents needed for his upcoming marriage and presumably did not walk out.
Speaking to Bloomberg on October 5, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman addressed the issue, highlighting that Riyadh had started a dialogue with Ankara on the issue. At the time, rumors emerged that the journalist could be held in the building.
“We
are ready to welcome the Turkish government to go and search our
premises,” the Crown Prince told the media outlet. “The premises are
sovereign territory, but we will allow them to enter and search and do
whatever they want to do. If they ask for that, of course, we will allow
them. We have nothing to hide.
On October 6, The Washington Post broke,
citing unnamed Turkish officials, that the journalist had been
allegedly killed by a Saudi “hit squad.” Earlier in the day, the
Istanbul public prosecutor’s office opened a probe into Khashoggi’s
disappearance.On October 11, the Post reported that the Turkish
authorities had audio and video recordings apparently proving that the
columnist was murdered inside the consulate.Saudi Arabia vehemently denied the accusations, saying that the journalist had left the building unharmed and provided access to Turkish investigators to search the place.
On October 12, the Saudi delegation arrived in Ankara to take part in the probe into the disappearance of the columnist.
During an October 10 press conference in the White House, President Donald Trump highlighted that the White House was “very disappointed” with the scandal.
“We’re going to have a comment on that very soon,” Trump said.
“And we are very disappointed to see what’s going on. We don’t like it.
We don’t like it at all. And we’re going to get to the bottom of it.”
Speaking
to Fox & Friends on October 11, the US President underscored that
American investigators had joined their Turkish and Saudi counterparts
to find out what had happened to Khashoggi.
“I
don’t like it at all,” Trump reiterated. He highlighted, however, that
Washington’s relations with the kingdom remained “excellent.”
Meanwhile, a number of American companies and mass media have withdrawn from an upcoming conference in Saudi Arabia, The Future Investment Initiative, amid the investigation into the case.While the UK, France and Turkey raised their voices against the Saudi kingdom, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates signaled their support for Riyadh with regard to the media fuss over Khashoggi’s missing.
“The
aim is [to defame] Saudi Arabia, not the wish to reveal the truth.
Throw away your reports, we are with [Saudi Arabia] with heart and
soul,” Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa stated,
denouncing Qatar’s Al Jazeera, in particular, for attempts to pin the
blame on Saudi Arabia for the disappearance of the journalist.
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