The United Kingdom, Germany and France issued a joint statement on Sunday, expressing their grave concern over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and calling for a credible investigation into the issue.
« Germany, the United Kingdom and France share the grave concern expressed by others… 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, » the statement reads.
The UK Foreign Secretary and his French and German counterparts went on to indicate their support for the joint efforts of Saudi Arabia and Turkey to determine what really happened.
« 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, » the statement by British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt, France’s Jean-Yves Le Drian and Germany’s Heiko Maas said.
The disappearance of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was blamed by Turkey and some other countries on Saudi Arabia. These accusations are based on the claims of his fiancée, who stated that he had disappeared on October 2, when he visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, to obtain documents needed for their planned marriage.
This information was denied by the Saudis, who insisted that Khashoggi had left the building. US President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to « punish » Riyadh if it were proven to be behind the suspected killing.
