Arab, Muslim leaders back Saudi King’s directives on Khashoggi case

Arab and Muslim leaders backed on Saturday, Saudi Arabia’s directives following the announcement of the death of Saudi citizen and journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Earlier on Saturday, Riyadh announced the arrest of 18 Saudis and the sacking of two top royal aides as part of its probe into the Khashoggi's death.

United Arab Emirates

The UAE “commends directives and decisions of Saudi King Salman on the Khashoggi case,” WAM said on Twitter.

In a WAM statement that followed, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan commended King Salman “for his great efforts and keenness to explore the truth in this matter and calling for fair, legal accountability.”

The WAM statement added: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by its leadership, was and still is a state of institutions based on justice and fairness. The royal decisions and actions taken after the investigation in this case reaffirm these values ​​and established principles to ensure the implementation of law and justice.”

The Kingdom of Bahrain

In an official statment, Bahrain praised the “directives and decisions of the Saudi king” and said “Saudi Arabia remains a state of justice, prinicples and morals.”

Egypt

Egypt praised the “decisive” and “brave” actions taken by Saudi King Salman in the investigation.

“Egypt sees that the brave and decisive decisions and actions taken by the Saudi King over this matter align with his majesty’s approach that respects the principles of law and applications of effective justice,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It also offered its condolences to Khashoggi’s family and said it was confident the investigation would reveal the truth.

Palestine

Palestine on Saturday, commended the directives and decisions ordered by the Saudi king Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to affirm justice, fairness, facts and law, stressing that the kingdom will remain the state of justice, values and principles.

The Saudi prosecutor said on Friday that an investigation showed that Khashoggi's death was a result of a physical altercation at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago.

Djibouti

Djibouti expressed its appreciation for the great concern and keenness of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to uncover the facts about the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, with transparency and objectivity, which proves that the Kingdom will remain a State of values, principles and justice.

Yemen

Yemen praised King Salman’s decisions and confirmed that Saudi Arabia proved to the world the principles of fairness and courage.

The Muslim World League

The Muslim World League’s (MWL) Supreme Council has expressed, on behalf of the Muslim peoples, its full solidarity with the Saudi Arabia’s Leadership and people, condemning the desperate attempts aimed at targeting the Kingdom’s stability and security.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) praised the transparency of Saudi Arabia and its emphasis on the implementation of justice.

The Gulf Cooperation Council

The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani praised Saudi Arabia’s measures on investigating the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Zayani said that the firm measures confirmed the wise leadership of the Kingdom to clarify the facts to the world public opinion, to continue to investigate the case, to hold those involved in this unfortunate incident accountable and to bring them to justice.

The Secretary General further expressed his deepest condolences to the family of Khashoggi, to the government and to the Saudi people.

Jordan

Jordan affirmed on Saturday evening its full support for Saudi Arabia regarding the directives and decisions it has taken following the announcement of the death of Saudi citizen and journalist Jamal Khashoggi, stressing that these measures are necessary for the achievement of justice.

Oman

Oman welcomed on Sunday Saudi Arabia's decisions "on the regrettable incident" that led to the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the state news agency ONA reported.

"The sultanate welcome decisions taken by the kingdom in this regard, insists on the importance to allow justice to take its course, away from any interpretation," ONA said, quoting a statement from the Gulf state's foreign ministry.

Saudi royal orders

There are now 18 suspects, all of Saudi nationality, currently in custody and accused of attempting to cover up the death.

Following the announcement, royal court adviser Saud al-Qahtani and deputy intelligence chief Ahmed al-Assiri were relieved of their positions.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman has ordered the restructuring of the command of the general intelligence agency under the supervision of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The royal decree also ordered the dismissal of a number of officers working in the general intelligence agency.

An official source quoted by Saudi Press Agency confirmed that Saudi Arabia is taking all the necessary measures to clarify the truth into the Khashoggi case and emphasized that it would be holding all those involved accountable.