Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia on Monday rejected a resolution passed by the U.S. Senate last week, which directly pinned the blame for the slaying of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The resolution was “based upon unsubstantiated claims and allegations, and contained blatant interferences in the Kingdom’s internal affairs,” a statement from the Saudi foreign ministry said.
The slaying of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 was “a deplorable crime that does not reflect the Kingdom’s policy nor its institutions,” the ministry added.
“The Kingdom categorically rejects any interference in its internal affairs, any and all accusations … that disrespect its leadership … and any attempts to undermine its sovereignty or diminish its stature,” the statement said.
The resolution was passed Thursday along with another that ordered the U.S. military to cease all assistance to the Saudi-led war in Yemen.
Anger at the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, where tens of thousands have died of starvation, has been compounded by the Khashoggi case.
In Congress, there are growing concerns that U.S. President Donald Trump has not taken sufficient action over Khashoggi as he continues to lend his full support to the kingdom.
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