Riyad: US top diplomat Mike Pompeo met on Tuesday with Saudi King Salman and the crown prince seeking to defuse a crisis over missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi, with US officials saying Riyadh had agreed the need for a “thorough” probe.
The urgent talks came after US President Do-nald Trump dispatched Pompeo to the Gulf kingdom amid a growing international outcry about Khashoggi’s disappearance.
Khashoggi has not been seen since he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to sort out marriage paperwork.
“Rogue killers” could be to blame, Trump said after telephone talks on Monday with the king.
After first meeting with the king, Pompeo held separate talks with minister of foreign affairs Adel al-Jubeir and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“We are strong and old allies. We face our challenges together,” the crown prince said as he warmly welcomed Pom-peo at the palace. The two men were also due to have dinner together later on Tuesday.
“The secretary and the foreign minister agreed on the importance of a thorough, transparent, and timely investigation,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said later.
