US President Donald Trump to send Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Saudi Arabia

Washington : US President Donald Trump on Monday said that he spoke to Saudi King Salman over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and will send Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to discuss the situation with the monarch. In a morning tweet, Trump said that the King denied any knowledge of the journalist’s whereabouts. Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post and a Saudi royal insider-turned-critic, entered his country’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2 and has not been seen since.

“Just spoke to the King of Saudi Arabia who denies any knowledge of whatever may have happened ‘to our Saudi Arabian citizen.’ He said that they are working closely with Turkey to find the answer. I am immediately sending our Secretary of State to meet with King,” Trump tweeted.

As per reports, Turkish officials also want to search the nearby Consul General’s residence and have repeatedly accused the Saudis of failing to cooperate with their investigation. Diplomatic pressure is growing on the Saudis to give a fuller explanation. The UK, France and Germany demanded a “credible investigation” into the events and Trump warned of serious retribution if the Saudis were found to be behind Khashoggi’s possible death. (IANS)