RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia’s minister of state for foreign affairs rejected on Wednesday a U.N. report that said there is credible evidence that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other high-level officials are liable for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“Nothing new...,” tweeted Adel al-Jubeir. “The report of the rapporteur in the human rights council contains clear contradictions and baseless allegations which challenge its credibility.” </s> RIYADH: A Saudi minister on Wednesday slammed as "unfounded" a UN expert report calling for those involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to be held accountable.



"It is not new. The (UN) report reiterates what has already been published and circulated in the media," Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, said on Twitter.

"The report... contains clear contradictions and unfounded allegations, casting doubt on its credibility."

The report by Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said there was "credible evidence" linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Khashoggi´s murder inside the kingdom´s consulate in Istanbul last October.

Callamard called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to initiate a formal international criminal investigation into the case.

Jubeir reiterated that the kingdom´s "competent" judicial authorities were holding trials of several people arrested over the killing.

The kingdom´s public prosecutor last November indicted 11 unnamed suspects, including five who could face the death penalty over the murder.

Diplomats from the UN Security Council´s permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- as well as Turkey and Saudi human rights organisations are allowed to attend the legal proceedings, Jubeir said. </s> Saudi sovereignty over handling of case is not matter of bargaining

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir Image Credit: AFP

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia Wednesday said a report by a UN investigator on the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year was full of baseless allegations.

“The report of the rapporteur at the [UN] Human Rights Council includes clear contradictions and baseless allegations that strike at its credibility,” Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al Jubeir said.

He added that the Saudi courts are independently handling the case, saying the kingdom’s sovereignty over the case is not a matter of bargaining. “The current trials in the case of the citizen Jamal Khashoggi are attended by representatives of the embassies of the five permanent member countries at the Security Council, in addition to Turkey and Saudi rights organisations,” Al Jubeir said.

“We strongly reject any attempt to touch the kingdom’s leadership, push the case out of the track of justice in the kingdom, or affect it in any form,” he said in a string of tweets.

Saudi investigations and trial in the case are underway, the Saudi official said. </s> A Saudi minister on Wednesday slammed as “unfounded” a UN expert report calling for those involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to be held accountable.

“It is not new. The (UN) report reiterates what has already been published and circulated in the media,” Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, said on Twitter.

“The report… contains clear contradictions and unfounded allegations, casting doubt on its credibility.” </s> RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — A Saudi minister on Wednesday slammed as “unfounded” a UN expert report calling for those involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to be held accountable.

“It is not new. The [UN] report reiterates what has already been published and circulated in the media,” Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, said on Twitter.

“The report… contains clear contradictions and unfounded allegations, casting doubt on its credibility.”

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The report by Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said there was “credible evidence” linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Khashoggi’s murder inside the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul last October.

Callamard said it was clear “the execution of Mr. Khashoggi was the responsibility of the state of Saudi Arabia,” while calling on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to initiate a formal international criminal investigation into the case.

Saudi prosecutors have absolved the crown prince of responsibility.

Jubeir reiterated that the kingdom’s “competent” judicial authorities were holding trials of several people arrested over the killing.

The kingdom’s public prosecutor last November indicted 11 unnamed suspects, including five who could face the death penalty over the murder.

Diplomats from the UN Security Council’s permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — as well as Turkey and Saudi human rights organizations are allowed to attend the legal proceedings, Jubeir said.

The proceedings are held entirely in Arabic, diplomatic sources have told AFP.

The diplomats are not allowed to bring interpreters and are usually summoned at short notice, the sources added.

Callamard, an independent human rights expert who does not speak for the UN, said probes by Saudi Arabia and Turkey “failed to meet international standards regarding the investigation into unlawful deaths.”

Her report specifically came across evidence that the crime scenes were “thoroughly, even forensically, cleaned” by the Saudis, in what “may amount to obstructing justice.”

Callamard said Prince Mohammed must have been aware of the cover-up efforts.

The UN expert also insisted that any international sanctions over Khashoggi’s killing “ought also to include the crown prince and his personal assets abroad.” </s> RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s minister of state for foreign affairs rejected on Wednesday a U.N. report that said there is credible evidence that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other high-level officials are liable for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“Nothing new…,” tweeted Adel al-Jubeir. “The report of the rapporteur in the human rights council contains clear contradictions and baseless allegations which challenge its credibility.”

Earlier, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other senior Saudi officials should be investigated over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi since there is credible evidence they are liable for his death, a U.N. rights investigator said on Wednesday. </s> A Saudi minister has slammed as "unfounded" a report by a United Nations expert who called for those involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to be held accountable.

"It is not new. The [UN] report reiterates what has already been published and circulated in the media," Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, said on Twitter on Wednesday.

"The report of the rapporteur in the human rights council contains clear contradictions and baseless allegations which challenge its credibility."

The report by Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur for extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions, said there was "credible evidence" linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to Khashoggi's killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.

She said it was clear the "execution of Mr Khashoggi was the responsibility of the state of Saudi Arabia," and called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to launch a formal international criminal probe into the case.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly denied the involvement of the crown prince.

Saudi officials initially denied Khashoggi's killing at the consulate, saying he had left the premises. The kingdom changed its narrative several times before later acknowledging he was killed, blaming "rogue" security agents.

The Saudi public prosecutor indicted 11 unnamed suspects in November, including five who could face the death penalty on charges of ordering and committing the crime.

But Callamard called for the trial to be suspended, citing concerns over secret hearings and a potential miscarriage of justice.

In a series of tweets, al-Jubeir said that Saudi judicial authorities in the country are the only ones "competent to deal with this case and exercise their powers in complete independence".

"We vehemently reject any attempt to undermine the leadership of the kingdom, or derail the case from the course of justice or influence it in any way," he added.

Callamard on Wednesday told Al Jazeera: "There is little doubt in my mind that the killing was premeditated. It was planned."

Khashoggi, a critic of MBS's policies, entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to pick up documents required for his second marriage.

His fiancee, Turkish national Hatice Cengiz, was waiting outside the consulate but the journalist never emerged from the building.

Callamard also said there was "credible evidence, warranting further investigation of high-level Saudi officials' individual liability, including the crown prince's."

According to CIA assessments, the crown prince was the mastermind behind Khashoggi's death.

Later, the US Senate adopted a resolution naming MBS as "responsible" for the murder. </s> Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said the investigation into the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi will produce the truth about what happened.

Adel al-Jubeir also pledged that mechanisms will be put in place so that “something like this can never happen again”.

He spoke on Tuesday in Indonesia, just hours before Turkey’s president is expected to detail his own country’s findings into the matter. Jamal Khashoggi has not been seen since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday October 2 (CCTV/TRT World/AP)

Mr al-Jubeir said Saudi Arabia is committed to ensuring “that the investigation is thorough and complete and that the truth is revealed and that those responsible will be held to account”.

Saudi Arabia has acknowledged that Mr Kashoggi died on October 2 during a visit to the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul.

The country maintains he died in a “fistfight”.

Turkish officials said the 59-year-old was attacked and killed by a 15-man Saudi team.- Press Association </s> WASHINGTON/LONDON, (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia yesterday called the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at its Istanbul consulate a “huge and grave mistake,” but sought to shield its powerful crown prince from the widening crisis, saying Mohammed bin Salman had not been aware.

The comments from Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir were some of the most direct yet from Riyadh, which has given multiple and conflicting accounts about Khashoggi’s killing on Oct. 2, first denying his death and later admitting it amid an international outcry.

“This was an operation that was a rogue operation. This was an operation where individuals ended up exceeding the authorities and responsibilities they had,” Jubeir said on the U.S. broadcaster Fox.

“They made the mistake when they killed Jamal Khashoggi in the consulate and they tried to cover up for it,” he said.

The weeks of denial and lack of credible evidence in the face of allegations from Turkish officials that Khashoggi had been killed have shaken global confidence in ties with the world’s top oil exporter.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin said Saudi Arabia’s admission that the Washington Post columnist was killed in a fistfight was a “good first step but not enough,” though he added it was premature to discuss sanctions against Riyadh.

Three European powers – Germany, Britain and France – pressed Riyadh to provide facts, and Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany would not export arms to Saudi Arabia while uncertainty over Khashoggi’s fate persisted.

Late yesterday, the Saudi Press Agency said both Saudi King Salman and Prince Mohammed had called Khashoggi’s son, Salah, to express condolences.

Jubeir had extended condolences to Khashoggi’s family earlier yesterday. “Unfortunately, a huge and grave mistake was made and I assure them that those responsible will be held accountable for this,” he told Fox.

Jubeir said the Saudis did not know how Khashoggi, a Saudi national and U.S. resident, had been killed or where his body was. He also said Prince Mohammed was not responsible.

Khashoggi vanished after entering the consulate to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage.

After two weeks denying any involvement in the 59-year-old’s disappearance, Saudi Arabia on Saturday said Khashoggi, a critic of the crown prince, died during a fight in the building. An hour later, another Saudi official attributed the death to a chokehold.

“Nothing can justify this killing and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms,” Germany, Britain and France said in their joint statement.

“There remains an urgent need for clarification of exactly what happened … beyond the hypotheses that have been raised so far in the Saudi investigation, which need to be backed by facts to be considered credible.”

The White House said late yesterday that U.S. President Donald Trump had spoken to French President Emmanuel Macron and the two had discussed a range of issues including circumstances surrounding Khashoggi’s death.

Reflecting international scepticism over its account, a senior Saudi government official laid out a new version that contradicts previous explanations.

The latest account includes details on how 15 Saudis sent to confront Khashoggi had threatened him with being drugged and kidnapped and killed him in a chokehold when he resisted. A member of the team dressed in Khashoggi’s clothes to make it appear as if he had left the consulate.

Turkish officials suspect Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate by the Saudi agents and his body cut up. Turkish sources say authorities have an audio recording purportedly documenting Khashoggi’s murder.

In a speech on Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared to suggest he was getting ready to release some information about the Turkish investigation, and would do so at his weekly speech on Tuesday to members of his ruling AK Party.

Erdogan has remained largely silent on the case, although Turkey’s pro-government newspapers have released information about events at the consulate.

Turkey’s Anadolu agency said early on Monday that Erdogan and Trump had spoken on the telephone and agreed that “all aspects” of the case needed to be cleared up.

For Saudi Arabia’s allies – particularly in the West – the question will be whether they believe that the prince, who has painted himself as a reformer, has any culpability. King Salman, 82, has handed the day-to-day running of Saudi Arabia to him.

“I am not satisfied until we find the answer. But it was a big first step, it was a good first step. But I want to get to the answer,” Trump told reporters this weekend, when asked about the Saudi investigation and Riyadh’s firing of officials.

In an interview with the Washington Post, Trump said that “obviously there’s been deception, and there’s been lies.” He had suggested last week that “rogue killers” might have been responsible for Khashoggi’s death, a comment critics called an effort to play down the crisis.

A leading Republican U.S. senator said he believed the crown prince was behind the killing, adding that the Saudis had lost credibility in their explanations of his death. “Yes, I think he did it,” Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told CNN, referring to the crown prince.

King Salman ordered the dismissal of five officials, including Saud al-Qahtani, a royal court adviser seen as the right-hand man to Prince Mohammed, and deputy intelligence chief Ahmed Asiri, Saudi state media reported on Saturday.

The king also ordered a restructuring of the intelligence service, to be led by Prince Mohammed, suggesting the prince still retained wide-ranging authority.

Some governments and prominent executives have said they would pull out of a forthcoming investment conference in Saudi Arabia.

According to the senior Saudi official, the Saudi team rolled up Khashoggi’s body in a rug, took it out in a consular vehicle and handed it to a “local cooperator” for disposal.
Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir says that the UN's report on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is unfounded, saying it has "clear contradictions and baseless allegations."