...Turkey and Saudi Arabia (click here) also closely cooperate in multilateral platforms. In this context, cooperation at the level of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as well as at the High Level Strategic Dialogue mechanism that Turkey established in 2008 with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), stand out in particular.
Haaretz:
...behind the carefully calibrated (click here) public-relations campaign pushing images of the smiling prince meeting with the world’s top leaders and business executives lurks a darker side....
...As Saudi defense minister from the age of 29, he pursued a war in Yemen against Shiite rebels that began a month after he took the helm and wears on today.What the crown prince chooses next likely will affect the world’s largest oil producer for decades to come. And as the disappearance and feared death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul may show, the young prince will brook no dissent in reshaping the kingdom in his image....
...When Hadi fled and it appeared the country’s port city of Aden would fall to the rebels, Saudi Arabia launched a coalition war against the Houthis — a conflict that soon became a stalemate.
The United Nations estimates 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen’s conflict, and activists say that number is likely far higher. It has exacerbated what the U.N. calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with hunger and cholera stalking civilians, worsened by the kingdom’s blockade of ports.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition has faced widespread criticism for its airstrikes hitting clinics and marketplaces, which have killed civilians. The Houthis, as well, have indiscriminately used land mines and arrested political opponents...
...The prince also found himself involved in the bizarre resignation-by-television address of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who announced he would step down during a visit to the kingdom in November 2017, fueling suspicion he was coerced into doing so....
...Despite the mounting civilian casualties in Yemen, Pompeo certified to Congress in September that Saudi Arabia was taking steps to reduce and limit them, drawing severe condemnations from lawmakers and human rights groups....
...Prince Mohammed also hosted a major business summit at Riyadh’s Ritz Carlton, complete with a humanoid robot named Sophia being awarded Saudi citizenship....
...“If I have the power and the king has the power to take action against influential people, then you are already fundamentally strong,” Prince Mohammed told CBS earlier this year....
...And as the son of the king, analysts say he has the full protection of the throne’s powers.
Once asked if anything could stop him, the prince gave a two-word reply: “Only death.”
Within Saudi Arabia, the Crowned Prince has an overwhelming and loved image. Internationally he is failing to make his case. I think there is good reason to question the involvement of the leadership in Saudi Arabia regarding the death of Jamal Khashoggi.
The incentive by Turkey to bring about an understanding regarding Jamal Khashoggi is obvious and it is economic. The discovery of evidence pointing to the death of Jamal in a Saudi consulate was worked by Turkey to win concessions on sanctions that have deeply effected the Turkish economy. The release of the Christian minister came very quickly after Turkey had the interest of the USA. Let's hope Turkey's resolve to find all the facts regarding Jamal does not dim at this point with sanction relief. It would have been better if Turkey included the FBI or other investigative agents such as Interpol in their forensic scouring of the consulate where Jamal disappeared.
I think the USA needs to examine the Crowned Prince's reputation and his plans for continued violence in the MIddle East. The Crowned Prince does link Iran to the Houthis and does see Iran as an enemy, as does Trump. That is trouble and if not recognized by the USA Congress as a hot spot, war can develop quickly and get out of control.
I think the Secretary of State with the backing of the US Congress should follow the lead of a Saudi Cleric that even Fox News is carrying with words of peace.
6 October 2018
The head of the Saudi-based Muslim World League (click here) has called for a Muslim-Christian-Jewish interfaith delegation to travel to Jerusalem to promote the cause of peace by finding common ground between religions.
Dr. Mohammed bin Abdul Karim al-Issa, who is an ally of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, told Fox News in an interview Thursday: “We should send a peace convoy that is representative of all three Abrahamic religions. They should be Muslim, Christian and Jewish and they should visit all holy sites....
There are also reports of improved security along borders between Syria and Jordan and movement of citizens along those borders. It may be that some of Syria is becoming habitable again. More extensive reports need to be done to understand any stability that is coming out of the long civil war in Syria. Jordan has been burdened with a refugee crisis that might be seeing some relief if indeed Syria is becoming stable. If this is occurring it might explain Russia's impatience with Israeli jets. USA intelligence needs to report in about Syrian stability and the movement of Syrians back to their homeland.
There are Saudis within the kingdom stating the reports of a dead Jamal Kashoggi is "Fake News."
