US, UK May Boycott Riyadh Investment Forum Amid Saudi Journalist's Disappearance - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th October, 2018) The United States and the United Kingdom may boycott the upcoming Future Investment Initiative forum hosted by Riyadh amid the disappearance of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, UK media reported on Sunday.

Khashoggi, known for his criticism of Saudi Arabia's policies, has recently been working for The Washington Post. The journalist went missing in Turkey on October 2. According to his fiancee, Khashoggi was invited to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul but never left the diplomatic mission's building. The Washington Post reported that Turkey had shared with the United States audio and video recordings suggesting the journalist had been murdered in the Saudi consulate.

The BBC broadcaster said on Sunday citing diplomatic sources that that US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and UK International Trade Secretary Liam Fox may refuse to attend the forum.

On Friday, media reported that the Future Investment Initiative's high-profile media sponsors, including the Financial Times, CNBC, The New York Times, CNN and Bloomberg, decided to withdraw from the event in the wake of Khashoggi alleged murder.

US President Donald Trump said earlier that the United States would take action against Saudi Arabia if it were proven that the journalist had been murdered inside the Istanbul consulate.

Saudi Arabia denied any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi, saying that the journalist had left the consulate.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday that the Saudi authorities were not cooperating on the investigation into the disappearance of the Saudi journalist, and in particular, were not letting Turkish prosecutors to check the consulate building.