Arab League supports Saudi statement on Khashoggi report

Secretary-General of Arab League (AL) Ahmed Aboul Gheit expressed support for the Saudi Foreign Ministry's statement regarding the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) report on the death of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi.

In a statement, he confirmed that the Saudi judicial authorities are solely concerned with holding those involved in the "Khashoggi" case accountable.

Moreover, Aboul Gheit pointed out that the CIA is not an international ruling or decision-making body, stressing that human rights issues should not be politicized.

On Friday, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the findings of a U.S. Congress report on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

The ministry said that it has been following the report submitted to the U.S. Congress regarding the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and noted that the Kingdom completely rejects the negative, false and unacceptable assessment in the report pertaining to the Kingdom’s leadership.

the ministry added that the report contained inaccurate information and conclusions.

“It is truly unfortunate that this report, with its unjustified and inaccurate conclusions, is issued while the Kingdom had clearly denounced this heinous crime, and the Kingdom’s leadership took the necessary steps to ensure that such a tragedy never takes place again,” it pointed out, noting that the convicted were charged in Saudi courts.

“The Kingdom rejects any measure that infringes upon its leadership, sovereignty, and the independence of its judicial system,” the foreign ministry stressed.

The US intelligence report says that the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman approved the operation to capture or kill the Saudi journalist.

“We assess that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” the report states.

“We look forward to maintaining the enduring foundations that have shaped the framework of the resilient strategic partnership between the Kingdom and the United States,” the statement concluded.

The Saudi journalist was murdered on Oct. 2, 2018 at the Kingdom’s consulate in the Turkish capital, Istanbul.