US meets Saudi crown prince despite criticism

International Desk: A senior US official has held talks with Saudi Arabia's crown prince in Riyadh, despite growing concern over the Saudis' role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met Mohammed bin Salman on Monday.

Turkish officials say Mr Khashoggi was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul after a visit on 2 October.

Saudi officials have given a series of conflicting accounts, but now say a "rogue operation" was to blame.

They initially said Mr Khashoggi had left the consulate on the same day he visited it. Last Friday they admitted for the first time he was dead and said he had been killed in a "fist fight".

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he will reveal the "naked truth" of the matter in parliament on Tuesday.

Saudi state media reported that Mr Mnuchin and the crown prince had stressed "the importance of the Saudi-US strategic partnership".

The meeting in the Saudi capital was held behind closed doors and the US has so far made no public comment on the talks.

They were held despite the fact that Mr Mnuchin - like a number of other Western politicians and businessmen - had pulled out of a major investment forum being held in the Saudi capital this week.

Agencies


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