Arab countries express solidarity with Saudi Arabia
In what appeared to be a coordinated response, a
number of Arab countries gave their support to Saudi Arabia. Oman, Bahrain,
Jordan, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt all put out statements on
Sunday saying they express solidarity with Saudi Arabia. The Palestinian
Authority also put out a statement of support.
In a strongly worded op-ed published later on
Sunday, Turki Aldakhil, general manager of the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news
channel, warned that if the US imposed sanctions on Riyadh "it will stab
its own economy to death," cause oil prices to reach as high as $200 a
barrel, lead Riyadh to permit a Russian military base in the city of Tabuk and
drive the Middle East into the arms of Iran.
Faisal bin Farhan, a senior adviser at the Saudi
Embassy in Washington, DC, said on his official Twitter account Sunday that the
op-ed "did not reflect the thinking of the Saudi leadership."
Riyadh later tried to soften its confrontational
tone, with King Salman speaking on Sunday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan about Khashoggi's disappearance.
The Saudi Press Agency and the Turkish state-run
news agency Anadolu reported the countries are considering establishing a
"working group" to discuss the Khashoggi case.
