British FM visits Saudi Arabia to discuss Khashoggi murder and Yemen

British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt held talks on Monday with Saudi Arabia's king and crown prince, state media said, as he sought to press the kingdom over journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder and the escalating Yemen war.

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تاریخ: ۲۲ آبان ۱۳۹۷ - ۰۹:۳۲

Hunt discussed the "latest developments in the region" with 82-year-old King Salman and later Monday held separate talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the monarch's son and heir apparent, the Saudi Press Agency said.

The visit comes as the kingdom faces a torrent of international criticism over the murder of Saudi insider-turned-critic Khashoggi in its consulate in Istanbul on 2 October.

"I talked very frankly about our concerns about what happened and how important it is for Saudi’s strategic partners to know that this cannot and will not happen again," Hunt told Reuters.

"Due process is in train at the moment in Saudi Arabia, and I was led to believe there will be rapid progress in making sure that people are brought to justice," he said.

Hunt said accountability was needed for both the people who committed the act and those who ordered it.

Hunt also said prospects for talks to end Yemen's 3-1/2-year-old war were "more real" after Saudi Arabia confirmed to him its willingness to evacuate 50 wounded Houthi fighters as a confidence-building measure.

Following meetings in Riyadh with the Saudi king and crown prince - the main proponent of Saudi military intervention in Yemen - Hunt also said he anticipated "rapid progress" in bringing to justice those responsible for last month's murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"I was led to believe that certainly the legal processes are going to be starting very soon indeed and we should hear something about that quite shortly," Hunt told Reuters in an interview.

Britain and the United States are major suppliers of arms to Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition backing the Yemen government in its fight against Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels.

Britain is seeking support among regional partners for new action at the UN Security Council for peace talks in Yemen.

"The human cost of war in Yemen is incalculable: with millions displaced, famine and disease rife and years of bloodshed, the only solution is now a political decision to set aside arms and pursue peace," Hunt said ahead of his trip to the Gulf.

Hunt's visit comes after British undersecretary for foreign affairs Simon McDonald held talks with Prince Mohammed and Jubeir in Riyadh.

Hunt also flew to the United Arab Emirates, a key pillar of the Saudi-led coalition, to meet Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

The Foreign Office said Hunt would raise the case of Matthew Hedges, a PhD student who denies charges of spying in the UAE.