Bin Salmán described Khashogi's murder to Biden as "regrettable" but asked him not to "impose values" on the US

The crown prince reminded the US president of humanitarian crimes committed by his country, such as the torture in Abu Ghraib

MADRID, 16 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Saudi crown prince, Mohamed bin Salmán, reminded the president of the United States, Joe Biden, of humanitarian crimes such as those committed by the US military in the Iraqi prison of Abu Ghraib, and described the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashogi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul -- for which the CIA pointed to the prince as ultimately responsible -- as a "regrettable mistake" that "will not be repeated" before asking Biden not to "impose by force" the values ​​of his country.

According to an anonymous official from the Saudi government to the Al Arabiya network, the crown prince explained to Biden during yesterday's meeting in Jeddah that "the imposition of values ​​by force generates counterproductive results", in a reaction to the pressure exerted by Biden during the meeting, in which the crown prince reiterated his innocence.

Jashogi, a columnist for the newspaper 'The Washington Post', went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018 to collect some papers to be able to marry his fiancée, Hatice Cengiz. However, he was never heard from again, his remains have not been found and the Turkish and Western intelligence services suggest that the order to kill him could only come from the highest echelons of the Saudi kingdom.

Although at first Riyadh denied knowing Khashogi's whereabouts, it finally admitted that he was murdered and dismembered inside the consulate, a crime for which eight people were convicted, but always denying an alleged involvement of the royal family.

In fact, and according to the official version, Bin Salmán assured Biden that his country had taken "all the necessary measures regarding the Khashogi 'incident'." According to the Saudi version, the prince told Biden that "what happened with Khashogi was unfortunate," and reiterated that the country has "taken all legal measures, including investigations and trials.

"The Kingdom has also put in place measures to prevent such errors from happening again in the future," the anonymous Saudi official paraphrased the prince.

However, and during the meeting, the Saudi prince pointed out that "incidents" like this can happen anywhere in the world, adding that in the same year other journalists were killed in other places.

At the meeting, and according to these Saudi sources, Bin Salmán reminded Biden of what happened in the Iraqi prison, the epicenter of a torture scandal in 2004, when the photos of mistreatment of prisoners went around the world and led to imprisonment. of seven US soldiers.

Therefore, "it is important to know that each country has different values ​​and must be respected," according to the prince, who also warned Biden that if the US only dealt with countries that share one hundred percent of its values ​​and principles, " then I would have no countries to talk to except NATO."

The Saudi prince also brought up the case of the American Palestinian journalist Shirín abu Aklé, assassinated in May according to conclusions of the Palestinian government endorsed by the UN as a result of a shot by the Israeli security forces, and on which the United States has stuck. to the Israeli version, which has admitted the possibility but rejected a deliberate assassination.