US takes Jamal Khashoggi case 'very seriously': Mike 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.