AFP |
The murder of Jamal Khashoggi should act as a wake-up call, Qatar’s foreign ministry said Monday in the rival Gulf state’s first official response to the killing.
Spokeswoman Lolwah al-Khater said Qatar had faith in the Turkish probe into the death of Washington Post contributor Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been locked in a bitter diplomatic crisis since June 2017.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to reveal the “naked truth” about the case on Tuesday.
Since then Qatar has been cut off by Saudi Arabia and its allies, which accuse Doha of supporting terrorism and being too close to Riyadh’s arch-rival Iran — charges Qatar vehemently denies.
At Chatham House, the Royal Institute for International Affairs think-tank in London, Khater was asked about the state of relations between Doha and Riyadh in light of Khashoggi’s death.
“I don’t think anything has changed dramatically. We’re just hoping that there is a wake-up call for everyone,” she said.
Read more: Turkey vows to reveal ‘naked truth’ over Khashoggi death
“And of course, our condolences go to the family and friends of the journalist.” Khater was speaking in a discussion entitled “Qatar’s foreign policy: balancing new alliances in a contested region”.
Asked what she thought Britain and other European countries should do in response, she added: “There was a joint statement that the UK, France and Germany issued and I think this statement, for the time being, summarises all the actions that everyone wants to see.”
The murder of Jamal Khashoggi should act as a wake-up call, Qatar’s foreign ministry said Monday in the rival Gulf state’s first official response to the killing.
The three countries on Sunday said Saudi Arabia must clarify how Khashoggi died, and its account must be “backed by facts to be considered credible”.
“We would like to see a transparent investigation,” said Khater. “We have faith in the legal system in Turkey and I guess everyone is anxiously waiting to hear what is going to be announced tomorrow.”
Read more: French minister pulls out of Saudi conference over Khashoggi
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to reveal the “naked truth” about the case on Tuesday.
After more than two weeks of near silence, Riyadh has admitted Khashoggi, a prominent critic of powerful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed in the consulate, after he entered on October 2 to obtain some documents.
© Agence France-Presse