So now CIA have concluded Saudi crown prince ordered Khashoggi’s murder – will Jacinda cur diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia?
The CIA have now established that the Saudi crown prince ordered the brutal murder of Khashoggi…
CIA says Saudi crown prince ordered Khashoggi’s murder: reports
The CIA has concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, US media reported on Friday, a finding that contradicts Saudi government assertions that he was not involved.
According to the Washington Post, who first reported the CIA conclusion, US officials expressed high confidence in the CIA assessment, which is the most definitive to date linking bin Salman to the killing and complicates President Donald Trump’s efforts to preserve ties with one of the closest US allies in the region.
Both the Washington Post and the Associated Press cited unnamed officials familiar with the CIA conclusion.
…one of the main complaints about this new Government has been its total inability to control the Ministries they are supposed to run. We see it with Eugenie Sage, we see it with MSD, we see it with Corrections – the most powerful neoliberal gang however is MFAT.
Their neoliberal crusade recently saw this…
Joint ministerial group sign accord for stronger Saudi-New Zealand cooperation
A Saudi and New Zealand joint ministerial group ended a two-day series of meetings in Auckland on Friday with an agreement to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.
The committee’s minutes were signed by Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli, and New Zealand Minister of Trade and Export Growth David Parker.
Saleh Al-Nuweiser, charge d’affaires of the Saudi Embassy in New Zealand, and representatives of the government bodies took part in the meetings.
Al-Fadhli said: “Trade between the two countries has witnessed remarkable development in past years, rising from SR675 million ($16 million) to about SR3 billion in 2016.”
He said the committee will contribute to the development of sustainable cooperation in all fields.
Abdulaziz Al-Hewesh, director-general of the ministry’s General Administration of Legal Affairs and International Cooperation, said that the joint ministerial committee recommended strengthening work and partnerships to achieve the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 in the fields of diplomacy and justice, trade and investment, consumer protection, standardization, finance and banking, as well as cooperation in the fields of energy, industry, mineral wealth, information technology and sports.
…this didn’t get much attention from the local NZ media, but we held a two day cuddle festival with a regime that is killing thousands of civilians in Yemen, crucifies people, beats bloggers, arrests women who drive oh and who are now directly accused of murdering a journalist.
If Jacinda’s politics of kindness is to mean anything it must demand justice at its heart and that means she is going to have to stand up to MFAT by cut diplomatic ties to Saudi Arabia.
Well we’re in 5Eyes with the biggest bullies on the block.
We’re in Afghanistan and Iraq, giving legitimacy to the greatest warmongers and torturers of the world
So schmoozing with the Saudis comes as no surprise
100% FRANCESCA
Sad but have to agree, was only ‘further news’ on TVNZ and so, shameful.
+100 FRANCESCA….and didn’t John Key lower the NZ flag to half mast when the Saudi king died?
( when most New Zealanders thought what the fuck?!….we didnt know we were friends of Saudi Arabia or the King of the Saudis )
…showed where jonkeys’ sympathies or economic interests were
Israel also has close ties with Saudi Arabia:
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/preview-2018-terrorism-will-thrive-while-the-middle-east-remains-a-pit-of-despotism-a8107906.html
https://www.mondialisation.ca/isis-is-a-us-israeli-creation-top-ten-indications/5518627
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/al-jazeera-saudi-arabia-israel-policy-terrorism-isis-iran-prince-mohamed-netanyahu-a7885851.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42094105
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43632905
100% Francesca – and what a nerve the opposition have squeaking away about one dodgy Czech immigrant when Key redefined this country’s core values against the interests of 99% of its people.
And because of the company we keep, NZ’ers now feature as baddies in the collective memory of poor terrorised peasants up in the Hindu Kush. Shame on us – but history can be re-started – and it should be, right now.
Jesus threw the money traders out of the temple. Does the NZ Inc government have the guts to throw the rich pricks corrupting international relations, even going as far as murdering dissenters, out of the country and its trading relationship?
I side with Jesus, also with Che Guevara, for justice’s sake.
It is going around the globe:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/16/cia-determines-saudi-crown-prince-ordered-journalists-killing-washington-post
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-46245167
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/16/us/politics/cia-saudi-crown-prince-khashoggi.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FSaudi%20Arabia&action=click&contentCollection=world®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/saudi-crown-prince-wanted-to-send-a-message-a-1234201.html
They go on about Iran and the threat they pose, a blinkered view, it seems, Saudi regime is as bad if not worse.
Time for NZ Inc to show some GUTS, ahem, did one sell out called Key not shout it across the House once?
Money, love money, give me another handshake, thanks, deal done. No further questions asked.
The regimes of the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia , Myanmar, UK are all allies. Oh Brazil too. Bolsonaro is a fascist.
The serious debate that needs to take place is: Does NZ dare have a truly independent foreign policy based on human rights, on justice for all? And how can NZ play a role in the struggle to turn away the world away from militarism so peoples around the world can focus on climate breakdown and extreme inequality..and stand up to genocide in Myanmar, Yemen and Gaza? Yes the assassination of the Saudi journalist was obscene..the bombing of Yemen with weapons sold by the US and UK is obscene..the murder of Gazan children, journalists, medics is obscene. The international weapons trade is obscene.
NZ could start by withdrawing from Waihopai and from military commitments. And please , no more weapons fairs.
Absolutely Lois
I’m sick of people saying that we need to have an army.
True realism dictates we have to take the next evolutionary step , transcend our reptilian brains and learn to co operate, not dominate
Our lives truly depend on it as you say
Yes agree Martyn we cant speak of kindness then shake the hand of cold blooded killers and smile when we are quick to lock them up here in our own country for lesser crimes. We have to be seen to be doing what is right and stand by our moral & principles something that was lacking in
our last government.
It’s a strange, strange world when the truth comes out from the CIA, despite the Saudis being a client state (much like Israel, or is that the other way around??) of the US Empire.
Should the time arise that the CIA refuses orders from the US deep state to topple an unfriendly government somewhere in the world, citing it as an illegal act, then we really are living on a Bizarro Earth.
Your call for NZ to drop all ties is correct. Why tho do the government appear to be sitting on their hands, averting their eyes and closing their ears?The Saudi genocide in Yemen war, the kidnapping of the Lebanese Head of State, the embargo of Qatar, the shocking atrociously brazen slaughter of Jamaal, all these are such a clear breach in full light of day against all modern world values. Yet hands are bin shaken and money is bin taken. Totally sickening. Have some morals, make NZ great again! Be the first nation to cut all ties.
That Prince Salman looks so handsome and friendly on some photos, but in truth he has blood on his hands, it is dripping out of his sleeves, yet Trump and others, apart from a few, still rather shake his hand. What a damned disgrace we have in 2018.