Saudi and Turkish governments reiterate commitment on Khashoggi probe: Pompeo

The US takes the matter of missing Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi "very seriously", Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday, adding so does Saudi Arabia whose leadership has assured him of a complete and thorough probe in a timely manner.

Pompeo briefed President Donald Trump on the issue and the talks he had this week with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Turkey in this regard. Pompeo returned from his trip to Riyadh and Ankara on Wednesday night.

Pompeo said during his visit both the Saudi and Turkish governments reiterated their commitment to a full investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance.

He said he told his foreign counterparts that "we take this matter very seriously," and said they reciprocated that sentiment.

The US is looking forward to a "complete and thorough investigation in a timely fashion," he said.

Pompeo said he advised the president that the US should give Saudi Arabia "a few more days" to conduct that investigation but did not specify a hard deadline.

At the same time, he said: "we have a long, strategic relationship" with the kingdom and that "we need to be mindful of that as well" throughout the process.

The Turkish government, he said, is conducting its own investigation and will share the results with the US and Saudi Arabia.

He, however, declined to answer more specific questions about what exactly happened to Khashoggi. "I'm going to allow the process to move forward," he said.

Khashoggi, 60, is feared to have been killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The incident has resulted in global outrage, more so in the US where he lived as a legal permanent resident and worked for The Washington Post.

Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi regime, vanished on October 2 after entering the consulate. Turkish authorities suspect he was abducted and murdered by Saudi operatives.

When asked if Saudi Arabia can be trusted to conduct a fair and impartial investigation, Pompeo said, "We're all going to get to see the response that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia takes with this".

And when the US sees this, everyone will have a chance to make a determination with respect to the credibility and the work that went into that, he said.

"Whether it's truly accurate, fair, transparent in the very way that they made a personal commitment to me, and the crown prince also made a personal commitment to the president when he spoke to him, I believe it was the night before last," the top American diplomat said.

Noting that there are lots of stories out there about what has happened, he said the US will allow the process to move forward and allow the facts to unfold.

"And as they unfold, as we make a determination for ourselves about what happened there based on the facts that are presented to us, the United States will determine what the appropriate response might be," he said.

In Riyadh, Pompeo said, he had a chance to talk with the Saudi King, with the crown prince and with the foreign minister among others.

"We've made clear to them that we take this matter with respect to Mr Khashoggi very seriously. They've made clear to me they, too, understand the serious nature of the disappearance of Mr Khashoggi," he said.

"They also assured me that they will conduct a complete, thorough investigation of all of the facts surrounding Mr Khashoggi, and that they will do so in a timely fashion, and that this report itself will be transparent for everyone to see, to ask questions about, and to inquire with respect to its thoroughness," Pompeo said.

Pompeo said he told Trump this morning that the US ought to give Saudi Arabia a few more days to complete that so that they too have a complete understanding of the facts surrounding that.

"At which point we can make decisions about how or if the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr Khashoggi," he said.

"I think it's important for us all to remember, too, since 1932 a long strategic relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They continue to be an important counterterrorism partner. They have custody of the two holy sites. They're an important strategic alliance of the United States, and we need to be mindful of that, as well," Pompeo said.

Referring to his meeting with the Turkish president in Ankara, Pompeo said he talked to him about the incident.

"He told me that they were conducting their own investigation. We had a chance to meet with some of the team involved with that. He assured me that they would share their results with the Saudis, as well," Pompeo said.

He said the US believes that between these two efforts, a complete picture will emerge for what actually transpired.

"We are working towards that. We're looking forward to that wrapping up quickly. And we expect that it will be done in that way," Pompeo said.