- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Macron Says Arms Sales to Riyadh Have Nothing to Do With Khashoggi Case

© AP Photo / Saudi Press AgencyIn this Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017, photo released by Saudi Press Agency, SPA, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, meets with French President Emmanuel Macron upon his arrival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
In this Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017, photo released by Saudi Press Agency, SPA, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, meets with French President Emmanuel Macron upon his arrival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Sputnik International
Subscribe
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that arms sales to Saudi Arabia had "nothing to do" with the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"I do not believe in impulse or confusion. The sales of arms have nothing to do with Khashoggi case," the French president said on Twitter.

Macron stressed that it was clear that the journalist, last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, had been assassinated.

"I strongly condemn this as I have always protected the freedom of the press… Once light has been shed on this crime, we will adopt clear, coherent sanctions, coordinated on the European level," he added.

READ MORE: Haspel Briefs Trump on Khashoggi Case Findings After Turkey Trip — White House

German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged earlier on Friday to stop all of Germany's arms exports to Riyadh until the killing of Khashoggi has been investigated.

FILE - In this April 12, 2018 file photo, Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left and Spain's then Defense Minister Maria Dolores Cospedal shake hands after signing bi-lateral agreements in the presence of the then Prime Minister of Spain Mariano Rajoy, right, at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain. Spain has cancelled the sale of 400 laser-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia it was reported Tuesday Sept. 4, 2018, amid fears that the weapons could be used in the Riyadh-led coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen - Sputnik International
Spain Votes Against Blocking Arms Deal With Saudi Arabia
Addressing the case, UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Execution Agnes Callamard stressed that the Saudi state was responsible for the murder of the journalist and can't "wash its hands" of responsibility.

On October 2, The Washington Post Columnist Jamal Khashoggi, known as a critic of the Saudi government, entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in order to fetch documents for his marriage and has never been seen since. Saudi Arabia initially denied reports that claimed the journalist had been abducted or murdered, but on October 19, Riyadh admitted he had been killed during a fight inside the building.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала