Top Turkish diplomat meets UN rapporteur over Khashoggi

By Tugrul Cam

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey’s foreign minister on Monday met with an UN official to discuss the killing last fall in Istanbul of a Saudi journalist.

Mevlut Cavusoglu met with Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, who is leading an international inquiry into the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, starting with a visit to Turkey starting today through next Sunday.

Along with Cavusoglu and Callamard, the meeting in the official Foreign Ministry residence saw the attendance of several experts.

Callamard and the experts will also meet Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul. They are also expected to meet with Irfan Fidan, Istanbul's chief public prosecutor.

The UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner said in a statement last week that Callamard will “assess the steps taken by governments to address and respond to the killing, and the nature and extent of states’ and individuals’ responsibilities for the killing."

“The inquiry will also seek to identify ways by which states can strengthen fulfillment of their international commitments to protect the right to life, prevent violations and ensure accountability,” the statement quoted Callamard as saying.

The probe will "review and evaluate, from a human rights perspective, the circumstances surrounding the killing of Khashoggi," according to the statement.

Callamard is being accompanied by Baroness Helena Kennedy, QC, and Professor Duarte Nuno Vieira from the University of Coimbra, Portugal.

She will report her findings to the UN Human Rights Council during the June 2019 session.

Khashoggi, a contributor to The Washington Post, was killed at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

After producing various contradictory explanations, Riyadh acknowledged he was killed inside the consulate building, blaming the act on a botched rendition operation.

Turkey has sought the extradition of the Saudi citizens involved in the killing as well as a fuller accounting of the killing from Riyadh.

* Diyar Guldogan from Ankara contributed to this story