Alex Christoforou
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Turkish President Erdogan did not reveal “the naked truth” as to who exactly killed Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a speech on Tuesday before the Turkish parliament, but as Zerohedge reports, Erdogan did raise important questions while providing the most detailed public statement yet on the killing, which corroborated several anonymously sourced reports that surfaced in recent days.
The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss Erdogan’s speech, which provided little insight into the men who murdered Jamal Khashoggi, and no “smoking gun” was given to connect the killing directly to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, but Erdogan may have revealed that an audio tape reportedly in the hands of Turkish officials may have never existed.
Did Erdogan play the Saudi monarchy into admitting that Khashoggi was indeed killed inside the Istanbul Consulate, out of fear that a mysterious audio tape of the murder would surface?
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Erdogan Speaks Out About Khashoggi Murder, No Mention Of Audio Recording by The Duran
The Duran – News in Review – Episode 140. The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss Erdogan’s speech, which provided little insight into the men who murdered Jamal Khashoggi, and no “smoking gun” was given to connect the killing directly to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, but Erdogan may have revealed that an audio tape reportedly in the hands of Turkish officials may have never existed.
Via Zerohedge…
Though it was conspicuously timed to overlap with the opening of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s “Davos in the Desert,” Erdogan’s speech didn’t include any previously unreported bombshell allegations, nor the “smoking gun” to connect the killing directly to MbS, Erdogan did assert that the “savage” killing had been pre-planned by the Saudi government, contradicting the Saudi government’s official story that Khashoggi’s death was the result of a botched interrogation, and that he died after a brief struggle…with 15 Saudi intelligence operatives, as the Financial Times pointed out. Though his statement was the most aggressive yet from the Turkish government, it notably stopped short of directly accusing the Saudi leadership of murder.
“We have significant signs that this was not something that happened instantaneously, spontaneously,” Mr Erdogan said in speech to members of his parliamentary party. “Khashoggi was murdered in a ferocious manner.”
Erdogan said the gathering of the 15 intelligence operatives in Istanbul was clearly no accident, and that the Turkish government wants to know “on whose orders” they were sent. While the Saudis had taken “an important step” in admitting to the killing, Erdogan said more details – such as the location of Khashoggi’s remains – must be shared with Turkish investigators.
“People who had qualifications related to the incident gathered in Istanbul,” he said. “On whose orders did they come . . .? We want an answer.”
“Why has the body not been found?”
Erdogan also questioned why the Saudis had refused to open their consulate to Turkish investigators until days after Khashoggi’s disappearance.
“Dear members, let me tell you that the Saudi authorities have taken an important step confirming the crime, the killing. Now we ask Saudi authorities to work hard to reveal the names of those involved from bottom to top.”
As Bloomberg pointed out, hours before Erdogan’s speech, the Turkish newspaper Sabah, which is closely tied to the Turkish state, reported that Ahmad Abdullah al-Muzaini, the attaché of the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, helped orchestrate the murder on the ground and was the main Saudi intelligence representative there. Meanwhile, Reuters reported Monday that a close confidant of MbS whom the newswire described as “the Saudi Steve Bannon” helped plan the killing and even spoke with Khashoggi via Skype before ordering that he be killed.
Watch the full video of Erdogan’s speech below:
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Mercouris’ analysis of Erdogan’s sprech includes only half: Haskill was likely sent to Turkey to prevent any direct evidence from coming out as it would oblige Trump to punish Saudi Arabia and rescind the weapons sales, causing the loss of so many jobs right before the midterm elections. Erdogan might have gotten some concessions from the US in return. Erdogan thus holds both the US and Saudi Arabis hostage.
You may well be right – Erdogan has been dealt an incredible deck of cards. I think Mercouris is wrong to think Erdogan may be bluffing. Whether or not the Turks have a recording of Kashogghi’s murder, they must know must happened since if they got the details wrong, the Saudis would know they were bluffing. I think it’s clear that Erdogan is using his intelligence to shake down MBS – and maybe the Americans. So far as MBS is concerned, he is now in a very weak position not only in any dealings with Turkey, but also domestically. He… Read more »
In my opinion, the fact that the body parts were found in the garden of none less than the consul, that fact is really a smoking gun. It had to be a top level-ordered murder. http://www.newsilkstrategies.com/news–analysis/-vince-nails-it-again-on-quora
Obviously, Erdogan has been talked to. In ‘walking back’ earlier Turkish declarations about the content of that tape, and how they obtained it, he’s providing MBS and Trump a ‘lifeline’ to keep their weapons contracts in place, etc.. It’s certainly not a credible position to shift to, but who’s going to contradict him?
Got his blood-money out of it!!