Donald Trump threatened Saudi Arabia with "severe punishment" if the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi turned out to be a murder sponsored by Ryad.

US President Donald Trump said Saudi Arabia may be behind Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance in Istanbul, threatening him with "severe punishment , " while Ryad denies giving the order to kill the dissident journalist. .

"In the current state of things, it seems that maybe we will not see him again, and it's very sad," said Trump about the journalist criticizing the power of Ryad. "Our first hope was that he was not killed, but maybe things are not going well," he said of the missing journalist. Donald Trump said he would call Saturday night or Sunday King Salman of Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi delegation is due to hold talks this weekend in Ankara with Turkish officials in connection with the investigation into the case, which has caused serious concern among several Western countries, including the United States, where Jamal Khashoggi had exiled himself. 2017.

According to several Turkish dailies, the journalist was wearing a "smart watch" that allowed recordings, when he entered the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on October 2, where he was last seen.

"Severe punishment"

"For now, they (the Saudis, ed) deny (their involvement) and deny vigorously. Could it be them? Yes, " said Donald Trump in an interview with CBS TV, recorded Thursday and broadcast on Saturday.

He added that if Saudi Arabia did prove to be responsible, there would be "severe punishment" .

"What has been reported about orders to kill him is a lie and an unfounded allegation" , for its part reacted Saturday - in remarks reproduced by the official news agency SPA- the Saudi Minister of the Interior Abdel Aziz Ben Saud ben Nayef.

This is, he said, "false accusations against Saudi Arabia [...] about the case of the disappearance of Citizen Khashoggi" .

This journalist collaborating with the Washington Post and criticism of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman went to the Saudi consulate on October 2 for a document necessary for his future marriage.

Charges from Turkey

Four days later, Turkish officials quoted by the media claimed that he had been killed in the building, allegations immediately described as "unfounded" by Saudi Arabia, all the more embarrassed by this affair. is to host a major economic summit from October 23 to 25.

The Saudi delegation arriving in Ankara on Friday is expected to take part in the work of a working group on the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, whose creation was announced by the spokesman of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The delegation is made up of 11 people and on Friday inspected the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according to the Turkish TV channel NTV, but its composition remained unknown.

"An official source (Saudi Arabian, editor's note) welcomed Turkey's positive response to Saudi Arabia's request to form a joint team of specialists" from both countries to "investigate the circumstances of the disappearance". Mr. Khashoggi, meanwhile wrote SPA on his Twitter account.

Recordings on a watch

According to the Turkish daily Sözcü and Milliyet, Jamal Khashoggi wore, when he entered the consulate, a "smart watch" connected to a phone that he had left in the hands of his fiancée, Hatice Cengiz.

They say that audio recordings have been transmitted over the phone and are currently being examined by the Turkish courts. However, if Milliyet states that screams and quarrels have been recorded, Sözcü argues that dialogues, but no shouting, can be heard in this "few minutes" recording.

The Turkish newspaper close to the Sabah government claims that Jamal Khashoggi recorded on his watch his own "interrogation" , the "torture" he suffered and his "murder" inside the Saudi mission. No official confirmation of this information could however be obtained.

According to the Washington Post, Ankara told the United States to have audio and video recordings of how Jamal Khashoggi was "interrogated, tortured and then killed" inside the consulate before his body was dismembered.

Ryad said the cameras in the building were not working that day.

No cooperation between Ankara and Ryad

Saudi Arabia is still not cooperating in the investigation of the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the consulate in Istanbul, and must leave Turkish investigators access to the building, the Turkish Foreign Minister said Saturday.

"We have not yet seen any cooperation so that the investigation goes smoothly and all the light is shed. That's what we want to see, " Mevlüt Cavusoglu told the Anadolu national news agency, adding that Ryad was to let " investigators and experts enter the consulate " .

The Saudi Minister of the Interior for his part assured Saturday that his country was committed to "compliance with international rules and conventions . "

Economic issues

The White House and US Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

As for the journalist's fiancée, she again called on Friday Mr Trump, to whom she had already asked for help to shed light on this case.

The Khashoggi case also cooled investors who were still enthusiastic about a year ago for the Pharaonic economic projects of the crown prince, like the British billionaire Richard Branson, who has frozen several projects in the kingdom.

Partners such as the Financial Times, the New York Times and The Economist have withdrawn their support for the second edition of the Future Investment Initiative summit from 23 to 25 October in Riyadh.

And if the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde confirmed her intention to participate, she said she was "horrified" by the Khashoggi affair.