During his visit to Saudi Arabia, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. The focus of the conversation was the civil war in Yemen and the handling of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Pompeo and Mohammed bin Salman - called MbS - claimed that they wanted to continue holding on to the ceasefire in Yemen. They spoke of a de-escalation and the implementation of the agreements reached in Sweden on the Yemen conflict, the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia said. A comprehensive political solution is the only way to end the conflict, it said in a message from the embassy on Twitter.

In particular, the implementation of the ceasefire in the embattled port city of Hudaida and the troop movements were discussed in the conversation. Saudi Arabia is fighting with an alliance of Sunni states against the Houthi rebels who control large parts of the North Yemen. Riyadh is receiving extensive military and logistical support from the United States.

In Sweden, the parties to the conflict, led by the UN in December, had agreed to a ceasefire for the port city of Hudaida on the Red Sea. The ports in the region are of enormous importance for supplying the poorly-poor civilized countries with aid. UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths called for "substantial progress" last week before further talks.

A few weeks ago, the UN had announced a success story from the war-torn Yemen: The Houthi rebels had begun the retreat from the port city of Hudaida. There is doubt about that.

Saudi Arabia affirms "determination" in the Khashoggi case

Before arriving in Saudi Arabia, Pompeo had commented on the Khashoggige case. They want to make sure that those responsible for the murder are brought to justice. The Khashoggi case had tarnished relations between the US and Saudi Arabia.

According to Pompeo, MbS has confirmed "the determination" to hold the killers of Khashoggi accountable. King Salman and the Crown Prince had acknowledged that "accountability must take place". Saudi Arabia as well as the US would still work to gather the facts. "Our expectation is very clear," said Pompeo. All those involved in the October 2 murder at the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul should be brought to justice.

How serious MbS actually is with the Enlightenment, remains uncertain. The CIA has findings indicating that the Crown Prince personally ordered the murder of the critical journalist. There are currently eleven accused in Riyadh to be responsible for the murder, five of them face the death penalty. Their identity is unknown, the judges meet in camera.

Pompeo is currently on a long journey through the Arab world. After another stay in Oman, however, Foreign Minister Pompeo will shorten his Middle East trip and not travel to Kuwait, said the US embassy in Kuwait. Reason is a death in the family of the Foreign Minister. Pompeo will catch up on the planned talks in Kuwait in a timely manner