US ready to move on from Khashoggi case but will Turkey play along? | Patrick Wintour

Few believe the Saudis’ explanation. The question is whether they pretend to do so

“Here’s the smell of blood still. Not all the sweet perfumes of Arabia will sweeten this hand,” bewails Lady Macbeth as she confronts her guilt. And so with the leaders of the Saudi Arabian court as they seek to wash their hands of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi by pinning the blame for his murder on a gang of senior intelligence officers.

Donald Trump has said the Saudi explanation of Khashoggi’s death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul is credible and insisted sanctions will not be countenanced. It is a step forward for the Saudi court to admit the murder took place. There had been two weeks of denial, including by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman himself in an interview in Bloomberg.

Continue reading...

from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2R0YHzW
via
0 Comments