French Minister cancels Riyadh tour over missing journalist

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire on Thursday said he would not take part in Saudi Arabia investment conference over the fate of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

　 "No, I will not go to Riyadh next week. The President of the Republic has said these facts are serious and we want to know the whole truth," Le Maire told Public Senat.

　 The minister said he had informed on Wednesday his Saudi counterpart of his decision to cancel the attendance at "Davos of the desert" conference.

　 "It is up to Saudi authorities to shed light on this case. Until the investigations are completed, the best is not to go to Riyadh," he added.

　 Asked if his decision might cloud bilateral relations between the two countries, Le Maire stressed "absolutely not."

　 "Saudi Arabia is France's strategic partner and that (travel's cancellation) won't call into question the partnership between the two countries," he added.

　 Many government representatives, high-profile business executives and chiefs of world lenders, including the International Monetary Fund and World Bank had announced their decisions to boycott the forum over the fate of the 60-year-old journalist.

　 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."