US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman
Credit: Reuters Photo
United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
At the White House meeting with the Saudi Arabian leader, Trump hailed Mohammed for his "incredible" human rights record and said "things happened" when questioned about the 2018 killing of Khashoggi. The American president also termed the slain journalist as "extremely controversial."
Further, Trump lashed out at a reporter, accusing her of “embarrassing” the Prince with her questions over the murder, which the US intelligence claims was approved by Mohammed, saying his guest knew “nothing about it.”
The Saudi Prince responded by saying that the murder of Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul was a “huge mistake,” while assuring it had been fully investigated.
Meanwhile, Khashoggi’s widow, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, told CNN that her husband’s killing had destroyed her life.
“I hope they look at the American values of human rights and (democracy)” besides any deal and selling weapons, she said.
US-Saudi Arabia deals
Mohammed announced that he had increased the $600 billion Saudi investment he promised Trump when the US president visited the country in May.
“We can announce that we are going to increase that $600 billion to almost $1 trillion for investment,” Prince Mohammed said in the Oval Office.
The US president also reiterated his intention to sell Saudi Arabia F-35 stealth fighters, despite Israel expressing concern. and warnings from US officials that China could steal technological knowledge about the jets.
In another development, Trump will sign a deal on a framework for civilian nuclear cooperation, a US official told the media.
Mohammed has built close ties with Trump and his family over the years, including through investment pledges.
Trump has worked towards boosting ties with the oil-rich nation, as he seeks to turn the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza into a longer-lasting regional peace.
The US President also said he had pushed the prince to normalise relations with Israel as part of the Abraham Accords that he launched in his first term, to which Mohammed said he was working to do so “as soon as possible” but insisted on securing a “clear path of two-state solution” for a Palestinian state first.