Saudia Arabia on Monday criticized two U.S. Senate resolutions recommending a withdrawal of military support for the kingdom’s war in Yemen and condemning Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying they stem from “unsubstantiated claims and allegations.”
#Statement | KSA rejects the position expressed recently by the U.S. Senate, which was based upon unsubstantiated claims and allegations, and contained blatant interferences in the Kingdom’s internal affairs, undermining the Kingdom’s regional and international role pic.twitter.com/smA8kbQQGB
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) December 16, 2018
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia rejects the position expressed recently by the United States Senate, which was based upon unsubstantiated claims and allegations, and contained blatant interferences in the Kingdom’s internal affairs, undermining the Kingdom’s regional and international role,” read a statement from the kingdom’s foreign ministry it posted on Twitter.
The Senate on Thursday passed a resolution by unanimous consent blaming the crown prince for the death of Khashoggi, a former advisor to Saudi officials who became critical of Saudi royalty and was living in the U.S. writing for the Washington Post. He was killed and dismembered by Saudi government agents in October in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
The upper chamber also passed a bipartisan resolution, 56 to 41, to withdraw military aid supporting Saudi forces in Yemen’s civil war.
“It could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” President Trump said of Khashoggi’s murder in a statement last month.
“We may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They have been a great ally in our very important fight against Iran,” Trump continued.
Saudi Arabia reaffirmed its wishes to continue good relations with the U.S., saying it holds the government “at the highest regard,” but rejected “all accusations, in any manner, that disrespect its leadership.”
“The Kingdom has previously asserted that the murder of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi is a deplorable crime that does not reflect the Kingdom’s policy nor its institutions,” the foreign ministry said.
The Saudis also touted the country’s work to combat terrorism, its influential role in energy markets, and insisted it has provided “significant aid” to the Yemeni people.