London: Britain and the US are considering boycotting a major international conference in Saudi Arabia after the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the BBC reported on Sunday. Khashoggi, acritic of the Saudi Government, vanished on October 2 after visiting its consulate in Istanbul, triggering tensions between Riyadh and Ankara.
The authorities in Istanbul believe he was murdered there by Saudi agents. Saudi Arabia has rejected the allegations as “lies”. Several sponsors and media groups have decided to pull out of this month’s investment conference in Riyadh, dubbed Davos in the Desert, as a result of concerns over Khashoggi’s fate.
Diplomatic sources said both US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and UK International Trade Secretary Liam Fox might not attend the event, being hosted by the kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman to promote his reform agenda.