Manama: Jordan has joined a growing list of nations and organisations that have condemned threats to undermine Saudi Arabia and expressed their support for the kingdom.
State Minister for Media Affairs, Jumana Ghniemat, said Jordan “is standing by Saudi Arabia against any rumours and baseless campaigns targeting the kingdom”.
Ghniemat, also the government’s spokesperson, voiced Jordan’s support of the Saudi position, stressing the need for reason and wisdom in the search for the truth, according to a statement on Petra News Agency.
Ghniemat underlined Saudi Arabia’s central efforts and leading role in establishing security, stability and peace, and enhancing economic cooperation in the region and the world. She expressed Jordan’s rejection of any targeting of Saudi Arabia and its role in the Arab and Muslim world.
In Jeddah, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) stressed “the importance of waiting for the results of the investigation, and not to jump to premature conclusions.”
The OIC called upon the Islamic countries and the international media t”o be accurate and professional in dealing with this case.”
The pan-Islamic organisation said Saudi Arabia and Turkey are “capable of presenting a model of bilateral cooperation in the most difficult circumstances and are qualified to present outcomes reflecting their good intentions.”
King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday in a phone call, where he thanked Erdogan for welcoming the kingdom’s proposal to form a joint team to investigate the disappearance of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi. King Salman “stressed the keenness of the two countries on their relations and that no one will undermine its strength.”
Oman said it was following “with interest the statement issued by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs” in which Riyadh pledged strong retaliation for any sanctions taken against it. “While the Sultanate supports Saudi Arabia in its efforts to clarify the truth, it calls on all interested parties not to rush [to conclusions] and confirm before issuing any prior judgments,” the Omani foreign ministry said.
Muscat’s stance was attributed to the “strong fraternal relations” binding the two countries.
Egypt “emphasised the gravity of arbitrarily making accusations against Saudi Arabia”. The ministry of foreign affairs stated: “Egypt warns against the attempts to exploit the case politically against Saudi Arabia based on false accusations, and asserts its support for the kingdom’s efforts in dealing with the situation.”
Bahrain and the UAE were the first countries to express their solidarity with Saudi Arabia.
The Arab League has stressed its rejection of any threat or attempts to impose sanctions or use political pressure on Saudi Arabia.
“It is totally unacceptable within the framework of relations between countries to threaten to impose economic sanctions as a policy or [use it as an] instrument to achieve political or unilateral objectives,” the Arab League said.
An Arab League spokesperson said they were “looking forward to seeing the truth [in the disappearance case of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi] in the near future, which will close the door to any escalation that could affect the security and stability of the region, both at the political and economic levels”.
In Riyadh, Abdul Lateef Al Zayani, the GCC Secretary-General condemned the media campaign against Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi’s disappearance in Turkey.
Al Zayani said that “what is being circulated in some Arab and international media is false accusations and claims that are not based on facts and aim to harm Saudi Arabia”.
“Some media violated media’s honourable principles and codes and have strayed from professionalism and objectivity, disseminating lies and falsehoods for obvious political purposes,” he said, in a statement.
“Saudi Arabia has always maintained its firm traditions and values, taking into account international regulations, conventions and norms. The kingdom has proved its keenness to reveal the facts on the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi as one of its citizens and did not hesitate to request to form a joint committee of inquiry with Turkey to uncover the case with full transparency.”
In Makkah, the Muslim World League condemned the onslaught on Saudi Arabia “targeting its international leadership through threatening to impose economic sanctions and exerting political pressure based on false accusations.”
In an interview with Al Arabiya TV, Khashoggi’s ex-wife, Dr. Ala’a Nassif, said she was not aware of Hatice (Khadija) Cengiz, the Turkish woman who said she was the fiancée of the Saudi journalist.
“Hatice claims to be Jamal’s fiancée, but I have not heard of her before and neither have his family nor his son Abdullah, who was with him in Turkey for two weeks before his disappearance. If Hatice was in Jamal’s life, I would be the first to know, but she was never in his life. “The priority now for his children is the truth. Everyone should keep silent.”
