The United States will continue its relationship with Saudi Arabia going forward after the fallout from the disappearance and alleged murder of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Turkey, US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said in an interview on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th October, 2018) The United States will continue its relationship with Saudi Arabia going forward after the fallout from the disappearance and alleged murder of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Turkey, US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said in an interview on Wednesday.
"[The US -Saudi relationship] is multifaceted, but's very important, and there is a lot to this relationship that that will persist no matter what," Ryan told CBS News.
Ryan emphasized that the reports of Khashoggi being allegedly murdered are "really disturbing" and should be scrutinized under existing laws, including under the Magnitsky Act that authorizes sanctions in such cases.
President Donald Trump said in his most recent interview to Fox news that Saudi Arabia remains a US ally in the effort to deter Iran's malign activity in the middle East. Trump cast doubts on the reports that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had prior knowledge of Khashoggi's alleged murder but said it would be bad if he did know.
Khashoggi went missing on October 2 upon entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul where he went to obtain papers to marry.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Saudi government officials and said after the talks that Riyadh is determined to find out all the facts in the Khashoggi case by conducting a thorough and transparent investigation.
