Pompeo To Discuss Khashoggi Case With Saudi Crown Prince

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to meet Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, for talks likely to focus on the investigation into the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S.-based Washington Post columnist from Saudi Arabia.

A CIA assessment has blamed Prince Muhammad for ordering the killing of Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Saudi officials have denied Muhammad gave orders to kill Khashoggi, a longtime royal insider who had become a critic of the crown prince.

Pompeo arrived on January 13 in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and met with Saudi officials to discuss the case.

"The secretary emphasized the importance of Saudi Arabia continuing its investigation into the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in order to ascertain facts, assess information, and hold those responsible accountable," the U.S. State Department said in a statement.

Pompeo arrived in Riyadh from Doha, where he said a diplomatic dispute between Qatar and its Sunni Arab Gulf neighbors had "dragged on too long."

Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates in June 2017 severed diplomatic and transportation links with Qatar, accusing it of sponsoring terrorism and Shi'ite Iran, something Doha denies.

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