Europe urges transparent investigation on Khashoggi

By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun

ANKARA (AA) - European countries and the UN have called for a transparent and swift investigation on the case of a missing Saudi journalist.

Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post newspaper, has long been feared killed at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul after he entered on Oct. 2 and was never seen exiting.

Top diplomats of France, the United Kingdom and Germany issued a joint statement urging for action.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said: "Defending freedom of expression and a free press and ensuring the protection of journalists are key priorities for Germany, the United Kingdom and France. In this spirit, light must be shed on the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, whose family has lost contact with him since Oct. 2.

"There needs to be a credible investigation to establish the truth about what happened, and – if relevant – to identify those bearing responsibility for the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, and ensure that they are held to account.

"We encourage joint Saudi-Turkish efforts in that regard, and expect the Saudi government to provide a complete and detailed response. We have conveyed this message directly to the Saudi authorities."

French President Emmanuel Macron said he is waiting for "the truth and complete clarity to be established," in an interview with France 24 television.

"What’s been mentioned is serious, very serious ... France wants everything to be done so that we have all the truth on this case, of which the first elements are extremely worrying," he said.

German Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Christofer Burger and French Foreign Ministry spokesman Agnes Von Der Muhll said they are "worried" about the fate of the missing journalist.

Spain's government speaker Isabel Celaa said press freedom is an important aspect for a democratic country.

- EU and UN

EU's international cooperation spokesman Carlos Martin Ruiz de Gordejuela said: "We are closely following the case of Jamal Khashoggi [...], especially after the latest alarming news."

He went on to point out that the European Commission, as well as the entire international community, has requested and is waiting for a clarification from Saudi authorities.

UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called for lifting the immunity of the Saudi consul general and other officials in Istanbul.

"In view of the seriousness of the situation surrounding the disappearance of Mr. Khashoggi, I believe the inviolability or immunity of the relevant premises and officials bestowed by treaties such as the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations should be waived immediately," she said in a statement.

Both a forced disappearance and an extra-judicial killing were very serious crimes under the international law, Bachelet said.

She added that "immunity should not be used to impede investigations into what happened and who is responsible".

"Two weeks is a very long time for the probable scene of a crime not to have been subjected to a full forensic investigation."

- Baharain, UAE support Kingdom

Bahrain and United Arab Emirates declared their support for the country.

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa said on his official Twitter account that the target is Saudi Arabia, not the search for any truth.

"Throw your masks away for we are with her [Saudi Arabia] with our souls," the minister wrote.

UAE's Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the country always stands with Saudi Arabia.

UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said there is a "fierce campaign against Riyadh".

There have not been any reactions from Russia or China.

According to a CNN report on Monday, the Saudis will claim in a report they intended to abduct Khashoggi from Turkey, but accidentally killed him during an interrogation.

The forthcoming admission could bring to an end questions over Khashoggi's fate.