Prince Turki Al-Faisal, chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, said in a speech and question-and-answer session at the International Peace Institute think tank in New York that he expects the kingdom to "put all of the facts on the table" in the case of Jamal Khashoggi.
"The kingdom is not going to accept an international tribunal to look into something that is Saudi, and the Saudi judicial system is sound, it is up, it is running, and it will take its course," he said. "The kingdom will never accept foreign interference in that system."
"The truth is you can never hide the truth — and the kingdom will never attempt to hide the truth, not just on this situation but on other situations," he said. He reiterated that the final report "will lay out exactly what happened and answer all of these questions that have been speculated about and made into tremendous issues."
He noted that the kingdom is a founding member of the UN, and has always been a key player not only in its diplomatic efforts but also in its humanitarian work. Turki added that the kingdom is a major player in urging peace of the Arab world with Israel.
Saudi Arabia also plays a significant role in settling the current conflict in Syria, Turki said, adding that the kingdom and other Arab states have played a role through proposing a peace plan via a decision by the Security Council to form a transitional government of the government and the opposition.
He talked about the crisis in Yemen in which the kingdom has played a key role with the Gulf states in 2012 to reach an agreement among the different political forces. Back then, former President Ali Abdullah Saleh was replaced by Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.
Speaking about Iran, he considered it a challenge, because of its philosophy of revolution and exporting revolution.
Turki said Khashoggi was the Saudi embassy spokesman when he was ambassador to the United States and Britain, and they had been "very friendly over the years." He described Khashoggi's death, citing a verse from the Quran. "It says that the killing of an innocent man is like the killing of all of humanity. His death falls into that category," Turki said.
