Haley Says US 'Can't Give Saudi A Pass' on Khashoggi Murder

TEHRAN (defapress)- Nikki Haley, the outgoing US ambassador to the UN, stated that Washington should not give Riyadh a pass for the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

News ID: 74221

Date: 09 December 2018 - 14:12

"You have Saudi government officials that did this in a Saudi consulate. We can't give them a pass, because that's not who America is," Haley, who will leave her position at the end of the year, said in the interview with The Atlantic.

"We can't condone [the murder], we can't ever say it's OK, we can't ever support thuggish behaviour, and we have to say that," she added.

Haley also defended the US response to Khashoggi's death, saying that the sanctioning of 17 Saudi nationals allegedly involved in the murder was a sign that Washington is not letting this slide.

The Donald Trump administration is "asking for accountability and we need to continue to do until we get it", she stated.

But Haley refused to point at Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MbS) despite reports US intelligence agencies have linked the de facto ruler of the country directly to the murder of Khashoggi.

"I think all of that, the administration needs to decide," she said about Salman's alleged involvement.

Haley, who will be replaced by Heather Nauert in January as US ambassador to the UN, also refused to take President Donald Trump's stance that the murder presented the US with a binary choice between either supporting its ally Saudi Arabia or standing up for human rights and values.

According to Haley, the US is able to see Saudi Arabia as a "complete partner when it comes to fighting Iran" but also tell the Saudis that "we’re not going to continue to be your partners if you continue to use thuggish behavior".

Following the murder, Trump has refused to call outthe Saudi leadership for its alleged involvement in the murder, despite US intelligence agencies reportedly presenting him with evidence of it.

Trump has also repeatedly announced that US arms deals with Saudi Arabia are massively important, while at the same time misstating the amount of money those deals will bring in for the US.

Last month, Trump stated that the truth may never come out regarding the Khashoggi murder.

"It could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn't," Trump said in a much criticised statement.

Trump's comments were echoed by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said there was "no direct evidence" linking MbS to the murder.

Their comments, however, were disputed by US Senators who stressed that there was "zero chance" MbS was not involved in the Khashoggi killing after they received a briefing on the case by CIA chief Gina Haspel.

Khashoggi's murder in the Saudi consulate in Turkish city of Istanbul prompted international outcryand forced many countries to reassess their ties with the kingdom.

After weeks of repeated denials that it had any involvement with his disappearance, Riyadh eventually acknowledged that Saudi officials had planned and executed the killing.

The whereabouts of his remains are still unknown.

Message end/