Jamal Khashoggi Murder: Saudi Arabia Rejects United States Senate’s Resolution

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has straightaway rejected the claim made by the United States Senate blaming Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the brutal murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi, who was an outspoken critic of the Saudi government, was murdered and dismembered in a Saudi consulate in Turkey in October.

The US Senate’s resolution passed via voice vote last week called for the Saudi government to ensure appropriate accountability for all those responsible for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. The resolution also called for an end to American military support to the Saudi-led coalition in the Yemen war and urged Riyadh to moderate its increasingly erratic foreign policy.

The statement released by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Jamal Khashoggi’s murder is a crime that does not reflect the policy of the kingdom nor its institutions, reported Reuters.

The statement denounced the Senate’s resolution noting that it is based upon unsubstantiated claims and allegations. It urged the United States to mind its own business and not to interfere in the Kingdom’s internal affairs, undermining the Kingdom’s regional and international role. The Saudi Ministry reaffirmed its rejection of any attempts to take the case out of the path of justice in the Kingdom.

The statement also added that the Saudi Kingdom hopes that it is not drawn into domestic political debates in the United States of America, as doing the same will have a significant negative impact on the important strategic relationship between the two countries.

While the CIA has reportedly concluded that bin Salman ordered the murder of Khashoggi, President Donald Trump has continuously backed the Saudi regime saying there was no direct evidence that links the Saudi King to Khashoggi’s murder. He told Reuters last week that he believes Saudi Arabia had been a very good ally.