Pompeo highlights importance to missing journalist's probe

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday said it is important to give time and space for the investigation of the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Speaking to the media at Brussels International Airport after wrapping up his travel to Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Pompeo said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had "made clear that the Saudis had cooperated with the investigation that the Turks are engaged in, and that they're going to share information that they learned with the Saudis as well."

"There's been a couple of delays, but they seemed pretty confident that the Saudis were going to permit them to do the things that they needed to do to complete their thorough and complete investigation as well," Pompeo noted.

"They want to complete their investigation, and they will have a process. I'm sure they will have their own prosecutors looking at this as well since it took place in their country, albeit on consulate property," he said.

However, Pompeo refused to say whether he has asked to hear the alleged audio on the disappearance of Khashoggi.

"I'm not going to get ahead of -- we have two countries conducting investigations," he said. "We're going to give them the space to complete their investigations of this incident, and when they issue their reports, we'll form our judgment about thoroughness, depth, and the decisions they make about accountability connected to that."

"As for responses that the United States will take, we need to know the facts before we can begin to formulate what the appropriate response for this would be," he noted. "It's reasonable to give them a handful of days more to complete it so they get it right."

He added that it would be "sooner is better than later" for Saudi Arabia and Turkey to publish their investigation result.

"I had a chance to speak to Jamal's fiance. Sooner is better than later for everyone," he said.

Although Pompeo said the alleged death of the journalist is "unlawful" and "unacceptable," he said "I do think it's important that everyone keep in their mind that we have lots of important relationships" between the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Citing "financial relationships between the United States and Saudi companies, governmental relationships, things we work on together all across the world -- efforts to reduce the risk to the United States of America from ... Iran," Pompeo said that "the Saudis have been great partners in working alongside us on those issues."

"Those are important elements of the U.S. national policy that are for -- are in Americans' best interests," he noted. "We just need to make sure that we are mindful of that as we approach decisions that the United States Government will take when we learn all of the facts associated with whatever may have taken place."

Speaking of his visit to Turkey, Pompeo said that he had "a good, constructive" conversation with President Erdogan on the release of U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson, Turkey's purchase of Iranian oil and Syria as well, without giving more details about whether there is an agreement reached.

"We have Iran sanctions taking place November 4th. We are working with the Turks to make sure that we get to the right place," he said. "They buy Iranian crude oil; we'd like them to buy less."

"President Erdogan is fully engaged in ensuring that Idlib Province remain inside the agreement that he struck, and we are hopeful that that will remain the case as well," he added.

U.S. President Donald Trump said also on Wednesday that his nation has requested Turkey to give the audio and video materials that are related to the alleged death of the Saudi journalist.

Denying that he has ever been "giving cover" to the Saudi side at all, Trump said "we will probably know that by the end of the week" after he got a "full report" from Pompeo upon his return.

The case of Khashoggi, a journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, has become a major source of tension between Saudi Arabia and the West.

Khashoggi has been missing since he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Unconfirmed reports said that Khashoggi was likely killed inside the compound, a claim denied by Saudi officials as "baseless."