US Defense Secretary Mike Pompeo commented on the Khashoggi case on his tour of the Middle East. 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.
"We are talking to the Crown Prince and the Saudis to make sure that someone fully assumes responsibility for the unacceptable murder of Jamal Khashoggi," Pompeo said. "We will continue to talk about it and make sure we know all the facts to bring the guilty parties to justice - first and foremost the Saudis, but also the United States, as appropriate," the US Secretary of Defense said a stay in Qatar.
Pompeo calls for the end of sanctions against Qatar
As for the desert state of Qatar, the ongoing boycott of the state by Saudi Arabia and its allies is already dragging on "too long," Pompeo said. In 2017, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt had broken relations with Qatar. They accuse Qatar of supporting terrorist groups and being too close to Saudi Arabia's archrival Iran.
The Emirate is an important ally for the United States. There is the largest US military base in the region. More than 10,000 US soldiers are stationed at Al-Udeid Air Force Base. Qatar is also the world's largest exporter of LPG. The sanctions put pressure on the country's economy.
Attack against Trump predecessor Obama in Cairo
Pompeo is currently on a long journey through the Arab world. In Egypt, he gave a speech at the American University in Cairo, accusing Trump predecessor Barack Obama of abandoning US-led rulers in the Middle East.
In total, Pompeo visits eight countries. The next destination will be Saudi Arabia. Khashoggi was a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MbS) and also a columnist for the Washington Post newspaper. The US intelligence had alleged that MbS was involved in the murder and have ordered the act.
The anti-government journalist disappeared on a visit to the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on 2 October. Saudi Arabia had initially denied that Khashoggi was killed in the consulate. Later, the kingdom declared he had died in a brawl in the diplomatic mission.
Turkey accuses Saudi Arabia of sending agents to Turkey to assassinate the journalist. His body had been dismembered and disposed of. The corpse has not been found so far.
The case has badly damaged the international reputation of the arch-conservative kingdom and is putting a strain on its relations with Western states.