Pompeo says 'handful more weeks' before U.S. responds to Khashoggi killing

[webfact]

Pompeo says 'handful more weeks' before U.S. responds to Khashoggi killing

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during the United Against Nuclear Iran Summit on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, U.S. September 25, 2018. REUTERS/Darren Ornitz/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday it would be a "handful more weeks" before the United States had enough evidence to impose sanctions in response to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

 

Pompeo, in an interview with KMOX radio in St. Louis, said President Donald Trump had made it clear Washington would respond to the killing. He said the administration is "reviewing putting sanctions on the individuals that we have been able to identify to date that ... were engaged in that murder."

 

"It'll take us probably a handful more weeks before we have enough evidence to actually put those sanctions in place, but I think we'll be able to get there," Pompeo said.

 

"We're going to find the fact pattern," he said. "The president said we will demand accountability for those who were involved in the commission of this heinous crime."

 

While insisting the United States did not condone Khashoggi's killing, the top U.S. diplomat said the United States had "deep and long-term strategic relationships" with Saudi Arabia and "we intend to make sure that those relationships remain intact."

 

Saudi Arabia's former intelligence minister, Prince Turki bin Faisal al Saud, said on Wednesday that the outcry in the United States demonising Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi's killing threatened to disrupt strategic ties between the two countries.

 

"We value our strategic relationship with the United States and hope to sustain it. We hope the United States reciprocates in kind," Prince Turki, a royal family member, said in remarks at the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, a non-profit advocacy organisation.

 

Khashoggi, who lived in the United States and wrote columns for the Washington Post, went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 to collect some documents, but he never reappeared. Riyadh initially denied any role in his disappearance, but under pressure from Turkish authorities it eventually identified 18 suspects in the case.

 

Saudi Arabia said they will face justice in the kingdom. Ankara has repeatedly called for them to be extradited to Turkey for trial.

 

Turkey pressed Saudi authorities on Thursday to tell them the whereabouts of Khashoggi's body, which has not been recovered.

 

(Reporting by David Alexander; Editing by James Dalgleish and Grant McCool)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-11-02

[stevenl]

Yes, 2 months after the act it should have quieted down.

[Spike1938]

Just buying time to figure out an excuse to give Saudi Arabia another pass. Oil uber alles.

[joecoolfrog]

" Drain the Swamp "......unless it costs us money !

[300sd]

The US sits on their hands along with the rest of the civilized world.....guess the so called civilized world has joined these SA royalty rats. Sad. 

[Srikcir]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

it would be a "handful more weeks" before the United States had enough evidence to impose sanctions

TRANSLATION:

After the elections because the response is likely to be politically weak.

[Foexie]

47 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

TRANSLATION:

After the elections because the response is likely to be politically weak.

You are so right about that!

 

10 hours ago, webfact said:

"handful more weeks" before the United States had enough evidence"

This is the typical big BS we know from trump-group.

 

Specialy the "had" in that line and not "have" makes me thinking about what good deal they will make with SA first before slap them in the face with a sponge or velvet glove.

 

What more evidence they need above a missing person, a chopped up body, a, more or less , sometimes did, sometimes don't confession from SA?

 

In the US you get the electrical chair for less sometimes. If you not already been shot before.

 

Guess they have to figger out what they have to do to get the $110 billion in advance before say "bad bad SA ".

[Jack100]

The fix is not yet in !

[Tug]

Translation(waiting till it blows over)