Washington, November 21
President Donald Trump has defended his decision not to hold Saudi rulers accountable in the brutal killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying maintaining strategic ties with Riyadh and keeping the global oil prices down were in the best interests of the US and the world, a stand criticised as a “betrayal of American values.”
The US last week imposed sanctions on 17 individuals of Saudi Arabia for serious human rights abuse resulting from their roles in the killing of 59-year-old Khashoggi at the kingdom’s Consulate in Istanbul on October 2.
Saudi Arabia has blamed Khashoggi’s death on rogue agents but denied claims that the crown prince had knowledge of the operation.
Trump essentially argued that although the murder of Khashoggi was “terrible” and could not be condoned, it did not merit the disruption of a strategic relationship he has elevated to extraordinary levels.
“We’re not going to give up hundreds of millions of dollars in orders and let Russia and China have them ... it’s a very simple equation for me. I’m about make America great again,” Trump said.
“King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman vigorously deny any knowledge of the planning or execution of the murder of Khashoggi.
“Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event, maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” Trump earlier said. — PTI
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