Khashoggi widow calls Saudi prince's US visit 'very painful'
President Donald Trump is expected to roll out the red carpet for the Saudi prince's first visit to the United States since Khashoggi was killed inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, sparking global outrage.
A commemoration ceremony held in front of the US Congress on the 3rd anniversary of the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in the Consulate General of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul. AFP File
WASHINGTON — The widow of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in 2018 by Saudi agents, said it was "very painful" that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will visit the United States on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump is expected to roll out the red carpet for the Saudi prince's first visit to the United States since Khashoggi was killed inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, sparking global outrage.
The pair are expected to sign defence and nuclear deals that will see US F-35 stealth fighters sold to Saudi Arabia.
Hanan Elatr Khashoggi told CNN that "it's very painful for me" to see Prince Mohammed visit Washington, where he will be received as though he were a head of state, not a de facto ruler.
"It will be better if Jamal was here and receiving the crown prince by himself, and meet him and share with him his vision and mission and all his ideas," she said in the interview aired Monday.
Before his death, "Jamal actually was waiting for an invitation from the crown prince and wished to have the space to be heard," she added. "He had good ideas for his country."
Hanan Elatr Kashoggi said she had written to Trump asking for his help in reaching a financial settlement with Prince Mohammed.
The killing "destroyed my life", she said, hoping Washington would remember that as it seeks ties with Riyadh.
"I hope they look at the American values of human rights and (democracy)" besides any deal and selling weapons, she said.
"There is something missing," she added, pointing to the lack of "real justice."
The killing of Jamal Khashoggi -- a US resident and critic of the Saudi regime -- had chilled relations between the two countries after US intelligence suggested that Prince Mohammed approved the operation to murder him, an allegation which Saudi authorities deny.
His dismembered body has never been found, and Prince Mohammed was never among those sanctioned by Washington.
Following an opaque trial in Saudi Arabia, five Saudis were sentenced to death and three others to prison terms. The death sentences have since been commuted.