American and Arab officials paid to lie for the Crown Prince

10-22-2018  WASHINGTON ― Some of the most prominent U.S. foreign policy figures urging a tough response to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi are earning thousands of dollars each month from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia’s closest partner and a vocal defender of the Saudi narrative about how he died....

  Publicly countries like the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan have come out in support of the Saudis in multiple statements....Middle Eastern governments are hewing to the Saudi line in public because of the massive financial help some of them receive from the kingdom and because of their officials’ worries, amplified after Khashoggi’s killing, that the Saudis will respond with unprecedented anger to any expression of dissent, said Lina Khatib of the Chatham House think tank in London.     https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/saudi-arabia-middle-east-authoritarians-western-allies-jamal-khashoggi-crisis_us_5bce5b27e4b0d38b587b4ecd
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10-21-18   In a statement issued on Saturday, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, commended King Salman for his great efforts to explore the truth and seek legal accountability, which he said reflects the transparency and justice in his decision-making on the case.   https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/government/uae-hails-decisions-/taken-by-saudi-arabia-in-khashoggi-case
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10-22-2018    
more than 2 million Venezuelan refugees seek help     https://www.newsweek.com/venezuela-refugees-allowed-enter-latin-american-countries-ecuador-talks-1106986
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3-19-18  interview with

S. A. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal who spent 83 days "as a guest of the Crown Prince":

-So were there never any charges?  Were you ever accused of anything?

There were no charges.  Because I have a fiduciary responsibility to my shareholders in Kingdom Holding, to my friends in Saudi Arabia, and to the world community, because we have international investments all over the place, it’s very important to say that there was zero accusation and zero guilt.

-You’ve described the whole ordeal as a misunderstanding.  A misunderstanding over what?

When I say misunderstanding, it’s because I believe I shouldn’t have been there.  Now that I’ve left, I would say that I’ve been vindicated.  Yet I have to acknowledge to you, for the first time, that yes, we do have with the government a confirmed understanding, going forward.

-What does that mean?

It is very confidential.  I cannot get into that.  But there is a confirmed understanding between the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and me personally.

-Does that require you to do certain things? 

Not necessarily.  I cannot get into that, because it is confidential and secret between me and the government.  But rest assured that this does not really handcuff me.

-What did the government want from you?

I will not get into the discussions that took place between me and representatives of the government.

-They must have wanted something.

I read what was written, that they wanted a chunk of A or B or C of what I have.  This was all rumors.

-According to one report, it was $6 billion.

I read $6 billion, I read more than that and less than that.

-Did it cost you anything to leave?  Did you have to pay the government any money, did you have to hand over any land, did you have to surrender any shares?

-When I say it’s a confidential and secret agreement, an arrangement based on a confirmed understanding between me and the government of Saudi Arabia, you have to respect that.  I’m a Saudi citizen.  But I’m also a member of the royal family. The king is my uncle.  Mohammed bin Salman is my cousin.  So my interest is in maintaining the relationship between us and keeping it unscratched.

-You maintain your innocence.  You say you didn’t sign a settlement acknowledging guilt and that you’re different.

We signed something, yes, a confirmed understanding. Some others may call it a settlement.  I don’t call it a settlement, because settlement to me is an acknowledgment you’ve done something wrong.

-You realize, of course, how important it is to be candid and honest with me about this, because the circle of knowledge is too wide.  If a different story emerges, your credibility will suffer.

Sure.

-So everything you’ve told me is 100 percent true? 

I have a confirmed understanding with the government, and it’s ongoing.   https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-03-20/alwaleed-reveals-secret-deal-struck-to-exit-ritz-after-83-days