On 9 October, the Saudi ambassador to the United States Khalid bin Salman wrote that reports of Khashoggi being detained or killed were 'absolutely false, and baseless.' It was not until 20 October (18 days after the incident) Saudi Arabia acknowledged that dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi had been killed inside the consulate by Saudi agents.
Before this admission, on 16 October, United States received a payment of $100 million from Saudi Arabia.Question may arise why Saudi Arabia become ready to admit the truth after delaying 17 days? To find the answer, we have to look a little back.
Khashoggi has disappeared after visiting his country's consulate in Istanbul on 2 October. He entered at 1pm (11am BST) and hasn't surfaced since then. Khashoggi's Turkish fiancée, Hatice Cengiz told that Khashoggi visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul the previous week but was asked to return on Tuesday (2 October) to complete an application related to family matters.
Over the past two weeks, Turkish intelligence had also disclosed a steady stream of leaks to the media, saying it had audio recordings that proved Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate building.
Turkish authorities say they have explicit audio recordings as well as video footage showing that Saudi agents killed dissident Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according to two people the Turks have briefed on their findings.Earlier, Turkish media reports have suggested Khashoggi was killed by a 15-person 'assassination team' who flew in on two chartered planes to interrogate, torture and kill him.
But, in the days after Khashoggi went missing, Saudi officials had repeatedly denied any knowledge of his whereabouts and said he had left the consulate. Officials of Saudi Arabia, including its dominant leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, say they have no knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts. Without producing evidence, they say he left the consulate shortly after he arrived.
Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent journalist who was often critical of the Saudi government and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, used to write for The Washington Post's global opinion section. The disappearance of Khashoggi, has battered the image of Saudi Arabia and of its powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, a key player in many of the Trump administration's ambitions for the Middle East.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, a friend of Khashoggi's, accused the Saudi government for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in his op-ed to the Washington Post last week.
On the issue of the disappearance of Khashoggi, at the beginning, US President Donald Trump increased pressure on Saudi Arabia to provide information on what happened to missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and said he wanted to get the bottom of what he called 'a very serious situation.'
Trump said he had spoken with the Saudis about what he called a 'bad situation,' but he did not disclose details of his conversations. He also said the US was working 'very closely' with Turkey, 'and I think we'll get to the bottom of it.'
No doubt, the Gulf kingdom had been facing one of its worst international crises since his disappearance for many days now. The alleged killing of a dissident journalist has had more global impact than unchecked Saudi aggression in Yemen.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia transfers $100 million to US amid crisis over Khashoggi. Saudi Arabia publicly pledged the payment to support US stabilization efforts in northeastern Syria in August. That money landed in American accounts on the same day that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, for discussions with the kingdom's leaders about the fate of a missing Saudi dissident.
This Saudi payment to support stabilization efforts in Syria is a cornerstone of Trump's 'America First' strategy, which calls on regional countries to take on a greater burden for security challenges, including Syria. The funds will be used by USAID and the State Department for a variety of programs, including infrastructure repairs and provision of health, education and sanitation services.
The timing of the transfer, first reported by the New York Times, raised questions about a potential payoff as Riyadh seeks to manage the blowback over allegations that Saudi agents were responsible for Khashoggi's disappearance. But, the State Department denied any connection between the payment and Pompeo's discussions with Saudi officials about Khashoggi.
16 October to 20 October, the gap of four days, Saudi Arabia admitted journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside its consulate in the Turkish city Istanbul, saying he died in brawl but made no mention of where his body is. Riyadh provided no evidence to support its account of the circumstances that led to Khashoggi's death. Still, it remains unclear where Khashoggi's body is following his killing.
It is mentionable that, after the said transaction, US President Donald Trump soften his voice down, said he found Saudi Arabia's explanation about Khashoggi's credible. Now, question might arise- why did the Saudis take so long to put out their story? Is there any relation between admits of Khashoggi's killing and transfers of $100 million?
Probably, Joshua Landis, a professor at the University of Oklahoma stated the most important answer- 'In all probability, the Saudis want Trump to know that his cooperation in covering for the Khashoggi affair is important to the Saudi monarch. Much of its financial promises to the US will be contingent on this cooperation.'
The writer is a senior faculty member at The Carter Academy School & College, Chandpur. Email:
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