Germany calls for united response to Khashoggi killing

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN

Germany has called for a united international response to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at Saudi Arabia’s Consulate in Istanbul.

‘We need a united response from the international community,” Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Twitter on Sunday, adding that Berlin was coordinating its stance together with France, the U.K., other EU partners and the G7 states.

Khashoggi was last seen on Oct. 2 when he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

After days of denying to know his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia on Saturday claimed Khashoggi died during a fight inside the consulate.

Maas said a “credible” investigation was expected from Saudi Arabia on the real circumstances surrounding Khashoggi’s death.

Germany’s top diplomat also signalled that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition government would put on hold arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

“As long as this investigation continues, as long as we don’t know what really happened there, I think that there is no basis for a positive on arms exports to Saudi Arabia,” he told German public broadcaster ARD.