May vows to confront Saudi Crown Prince over murder of journalist and Yemen violence when they come face-to-face at at G20 summit
- Theresa May is at the G20 summit of world leaders taking place in Argentina
- The Prime Minister has made clear she will not avoid meeting the Saudi prince
- Kingdom faces massive backlash over murder of dissident journalist in Turkey
- Mrs May said she would take opportunity to demand transparent investigation
Theresa May today vowed to confront the Saudi crown prince over the murder of a dissident journalists and Yemen violence when they come face to face at the G20 summit.
The Prime Minister made clear she will not avoid a meeting with Mohammed bin Salman at the gathering in Argentina.
But she insisted that she would be demanding a ‘full and transparent’ investigation into who was behind the death of Jamal Khashoggi – a critic of the Saudi regime who is believed to have been tortured and killed in the Kingdom’s consulate in Turkey.
She also said she will raise the military campaign in Yemen that has seen the death of thousands of civilians.
Speaking to reporters en route to Buenos Aires overnight, Mrs May confirmed she will speak to the Crown Prince.
‘The message I give will be very clear. It is the message we have consistently given on this issue of Jamal Khashoggi and the issue of Yemen,’ she said.
Theresa May (left) has made clear she will not avoid a meeting with Mohammed bin Salman (right) at the gathering in Argentina
‘In relation to Mr Khashoggi, we want to see a full and transparent investigation of what happened and those responsible being held to account.
‘With the issue of Yemen, we continue to be deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation. The long-term solution for Yemen is a political solution, and we will be encouraging the parties to work for that political solution.’
The summit in Buenos Aires is the first major international event Prince Mohammed has attended since Khashoggi’s murder.
The Kingdom has flatly denied he had any prior knowledge of the killing, suggesting rogue agents might have been responsible.
Initially the authorities denied that Khashoggi had been murdered in the consulate in Istanbul.
The scandal has heaped pressure on the government to impose sanctions against Saudi – which was already facing a backlash over military action in Yemen.
Asked if Mrs May would shake hands with the Crown Prince, an aide said: “Engagement is important if we are to address these issues.”
Jamal Khashoggi – a critic of the Saudi regime who is believed to have been tortured and killed in the Kingdom’s consulate in Turkey