U.S. President Donald Trump has suffered a significant bruising, if not a battering, as a result of the midterm elections. This damaging of Trump's brand holds considerable promise, even if not as much as many liberals had hoped for. Indubitably, his stature has been meaningfully diminished, especially with the Democrats controlling the House of Representatives. Of course, all of this is obvious, but for our purposes, the main question is how should the Democrats utilize their newfound powers?

Strategically, they should constrain President Trump to modify his agenda on a variety of domestic and foreign policy fronts. To start, he should be compelled to alter his reckless Middle East policy by partnering with Turkey, more thoughtfully criticize Iran, and, most importantly, distance himself from Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who has been described widely as a "loose cannon," "wrecking ball" and "unreliable partner." More specifically, Democrats should use these election results to affect the ongoing investigation into the cruel, macabre and unspeakable murder of Jamal Khashoggi. By taking a Turkish cue, and slowly utilizing the "death by a thousand cuts" strategy, they should unravel Trump's America. In other words, start throwing jabs, even upper-cuts, while being aware there will be no knock-out punch. In this, there is a moment of truth.

To begin, the Democrats should ask for the formation of a House committee, specifically to investigate the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. By doing so, a wide range of actions could be taken that would put tremendous pressure on President Trump to do more – as he is so accustomed to tell everyone else. In this regard it would be important to mention that President Trump has already acknowledged his frustration at the "worst cover-up ever" and the changed circumstances that he finds himself in and has responded accordingly. He has stated that a "stronger response" will be forthcoming in the coming days in regards to the Khashoggi murder. Still, that may be his attempt to circumvent the formation of a House committee. He should not be allowed to do that.

Among the various pressures that can be applied through the House, it has the authority to call for testimony. Kindly recall that CIA Director Gina Haspel, it has now been unequivocally acknowledged, was privy to all the evidence that the Turks have. This includes every gory and gruesome detail of the purported dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi. In all likelihood, that includes both audio and video of what transpired inside. At the very least, as Bruce Riedel – a former CIA official who now works at the Brookings Institution – Gina Haspel listened to and watched the audio and video which "puts the ball firmly in Washington's court."

Moreover, Riedel also mentioned that this could compel U.S. Congress to ask her to testify.

"Not only will there be more pressure now from the media but Congress will say, 'Gina, we would love to have you come visit and you can tell us exactly what you heard.'"

This, potentially, is earth-shattering and has not done before. Understandably so, since the Republicans previously controlled the House and as such could prevent the formation of any such committee. Now, they can't. And, once a committee is formed or Gina Haspel is asked to testify, under oath, to the exact nature of the evidence she heard and saw, then it all becomes official. That, thereby, compels President Trump to act and is the ultimate the masterstroke.

This is a sobering time, and while certainly not a tsunami, it speaks volumes for the push-back against President Trump's divisive identity-politics, right-wing populism, anti-women, anti-immigration and Islamophobic agendas of Trump and his hard-core Republican base. All of that is tearing the U.S. apart, along with several institutional check and balances. Even now, considering the Republicans retain control of the upper chamber, there is still no guarantee that they will not challenge Trump's approach to the Middle East, especially when it comes to Saudi Arabia. Senators Rubio, Graham and Paul have all been demanding more from Trump Administration, especially in the aftermath of Jamal Khashoggi's murder. They have called for harsh measures to be taken against Saudi Arabia, which Trump hitherto has been reluctant to do. Now, his options are limited, and there have even been promptings that Republicans, even in Congress, could "break" with the White House on this issue. The sheer grotesqueness of Jamal Khashoggi's murder demands that an example be made. No one, not even MBS, if conclusively proven to be involved, should be absolved of responsibility. Our collective conscience, the very moral fabric of the international community, is at stake.</s>PARIS (Reuters) - Canadian intelligence officers have listened to Turkish recordings of what happened to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday, adding that he was discussing with allies what next steps should be taken.

Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed at the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate by a team sent from Riyadh. Saudi authorities have acknowledged that the killing was premeditated, but his body has not been found.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said over the weekend that audio recordings of the killing had been given to the U.S., French, German and British governments.

When asked on a visit to Paris whether Canadian intelligence had heard the Turkish recordings, Trudeau said: “Yes”, although he added that had not heard them personally.

“Canada’s intelligence agencies have been working very closely on this issue with Turkish intelligence and Canada has been fully briefed on what Turkey had to share,” Trudeau told a news conference.

He added that he had also spoken to Erdogan about the issue in Paris over the weekend.

Canada is part of the so-called five eyes intelligence network which shares information along with the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

Trudeau faces a dilemma as an election approaches over how to clamp down credibly on Riyadh over its human rights record while sparing a $13 billion arms deal with the kingdom.

He is under pressure to freeze the contract for armored vehicles built in Canada by U.S.-based General Dynamics (GD.N), although the deal underpins 3,000 jobs in the small city of London, Ontario.

Sidestepping a question on whether the recordings could change Ottawa’s relationship with Riyadh and have consequences, Trudeau said he was continuing to talk with allies about the investigation and accountability for those behind the murder.

“We are in discussions with our like-minded allies as to the next steps with regard to Saudi Arabia,” Trudeau said.

Earlier on Monday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Paris was not in possession of recordings related to Khashoggi’s killings, apparently contradicting Erdogan’s remarks.

“The truth isn’t out yet. We want to know the truth, the circumstances of his death and the identity of the culprits. Then we will take the necessary actions,” Le Drian told France 2 television. “If the Turkish president has information to give us, he must give it to us. For now, I don’t know about it.”</s>PARIS — Canada’s spy chief travelled to Turkey at the request of the prime minister and heard a recording of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service says.

CSIS director David Vigneault “has listened to the audio tapes in question” and provided a briefing to Justin Trudeau and other Canadian officials upon his return, said John Townsend, a spokesman for the intelligence service.

Trudeau said Monday in Paris he has not personally heard the recording that Turkish officials have also provided to allies such as the U.S. and Britain in recent days, though he said he had been told about its contents.

“Canada has been fully briefed up on what Turkey had to share,” Trudeau said during a press conference at the Canadian Embassy in Paris.

The development is the latest piece of a gradually unfolding investigation into the death that has reverberated through the international community.

Khashoggi’s killing last month at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul further strained an already difficult relationship with Canada and renewed public outrage over Ottawa’s $15-billion arms deal with the regime.

Canada has joined other countries in applying pressure on Riyadh to provide better answers about what actually happened to the journalist.

Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen but a resident of the United States who’s been critical of the Saudi monarchy, was last seen entering the consulate in Turkey on Oct. 2, where he’d gone to get papers to marry his fiancee.

His killing has prompted widespread condemnation, including from Trudeau himself, but the prime minister did not say how the recordings have affected his thoughts on repercussions for the Saudis.

“We continue to be engaged with our allies on the investigation into accountability for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and we are in discussion with our like-minded allies as to next steps towards Saudi Arabia,” Trudeau said.

The shared audio is the latest move by Turkey to maintain international pressure on Saudi Arabia over the killing.

Trudeau said he brought the subject up during a recent phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and briefly again when the two met on the weekend in Paris. Trudeau said he “thanked (Erdogan) for his strength in responding to the Khashoggi situation.”

Also Monday, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt was in Saudi Arabia, where he met King Salman and was expected to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The crown prince is widely suspected of at least having knowledge of the killing, which involved some members of his security entourage.

Hunt — the first British minister to visit Saudi Arabia since Khashoggi was killed — said he would press the kingdom to fully co-operate with a Turkish investigation into the writer’s killing.

“The international community remain united in horror and outrage at the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi one month ago. It is clearly unacceptable that the full circumstances behind his murder still remain unclear,” Hunt said in a statement ahead of landing in Riyadh.

On Sunday U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with the Saudi crown prince on the telephone and “emphasized that the United States will hold all of those involved in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi accountable, and that Saudi Arabia must do the same.”

Under mounting pressure, Saudi Arabia has changed its story about the death, first saying Khashoggi walked out of the consulate the day he disappeared but eventually acknowledging he died inside. Saudi Arabia has also recently acknowledged Turkish evidence that showed the slaying was premeditated.

Turkey says a 15-member Saudi assassination squad strangled and dismembered Khashoggi at the consulate.

Saudi officials characterize the killing as a rogue operation carried out by Saudi agents who exceeded their authority.

— With files from The Associated Press</s>PARIS (Reuters) - Canadian intelligence officers have listened to Turkish recordings of what happened to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday, adding that he was discussing with allies what next steps should be taken.

Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed at the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate by a team sent from Riyadh. Saudi authorities have acknowledged that the killing was premeditated, but his body has not been found.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said over the weekend that audio recordings of the killing had been given to the U.S., French, German and British governments.

When asked on a visit to Paris whether Canadian intelligence had heard the Turkish recordings, Trudeau said: “Yes”, although he added that had not heard them personally.

“Canada’s intelligence agencies have been working very closely on this issue with Turkish intelligence and Canada has been fully briefed on what Turkey had to share,” Trudeau told a news conference.

He added that he had also spoken to Erdogan about the issue in Paris over the weekend.

Canada is part of the so-called five eyes intelligence network which shares information along with the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

Trudeau faces a dilemma as an election approaches over how to clamp down credibly on Riyadh over its human rights record while sparing a $13 billion arms deal with the kingdom.

He is under pressure to freeze the contract for armoured vehicles built in Canada by U.S.-based General Dynamics, although the deal underpins 3,000 jobs in the small city of London, Ontario.

Sidestepping a question on whether the recordings could change Ottawa’s relationship with Riyadh and have consequences, Trudeau said he was continuing to talk with allies about the investigation and accountability for those behind the murder.

“We are in discussions with our like-minded allies as to the next steps with regard to Saudi Arabia,” Trudeau said.

Earlier on Monday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Paris was not in possession of recordings related to Khashoggi’s killings, apparently contradicting Erdogan’s remarks.

“The truth isn’t out yet. We want to know the truth, the circumstances of his death and the identity of the culprits. Then we will take the necessary actions,” Le Drian told France 2 television. “If the Turkish president has information to give us, he must give it to us. For now, I don’t know about it.”</s>Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) Recordings related to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death have been passed on to Saudi Arabia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and France, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday.

Khashoggi was killed after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain paperwork for his marriage.

Speaking before his departure to Paris for World War I commemorations, Erdogan said: "We passed on the recordings. We gave them to Saudi Arabia, to America, to the Germans, French and the English -- we gave them all."

He did not elaborate on what was on the recordings.

US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sat next to each other at the dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron Saturday evening in Paris.

Erdogan said the killer, or killers, would be known to the 18 suspects identified by Turkish authorities -- including 15 men who arrived from Saudi Arabia shortly before Khashoggi's death.

Read More</s>Saudi leaders had discussed assassinating enemies of the state long before a Washington Post journalist was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according to a report in The New York Times.

The revelation comes days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey had shared recordings of Jamal Khashoggi's killing with the U.S. and other western nations.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that intelligence officials in his country have listened to the tapes, adding that he had not.

"Canada has been fully briefed up on what Turkey had to share," Trudeau said at a news conference in Paris. He declined to say what the impact of the tapes might be on relations with the kingdom.

More: Jamal Khashoggi was strangled, body dismembered, prosecutor says

More: Khashoggi’s fiancée asks Trump to ‘ensure justice be served’

The Times, citing three sources close to the discussions, said Saudi intelligence officials close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked a group of businessmen last year about the possibility of using private companies to assassinate Qassim Suleimani, the leader of the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps.

The discussions indicate that top Saudi officials have considered assassinations since the beginning of Prince Mohammed’s ascent to power, the Times asserts.

Khashoggi disappeared in early October after entering the consulate to obtain documents in preparation for his marriage. Video footage showed Khashoggi entering, but no video ever showed him leaving.

For weeks Saudi Arabia denied any knowledge of Khashoggi's fate, saying he had left the consulate alive. His disappearance and subsequent reports that Khashoggi had been tortured and killed drew international outrage.

The Saudis ultimately revised the story, saying Khashoggi died after a fight that broke out during his interrogation. The regime said 18 people had been arrested in the incident.

Turkish authorities say Khashoggi was strangled to death and his body dismembered soon after he entered the Saudi consulate.</s>Saudi leaders had discussed assassinating enemies of the state long before a Washington Post journalist was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according to a report in The New York Times.

The revelation comes days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey had shared recordings of Jamal Khashoggi's killing with the U.S. and other western nations.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that intelligence officials in his country have listened to the tapes, adding that he had not.

"Canada has been fully briefed up on what Turkey had to share," Trudeau said at a news conference in Paris. He declined to say what the impact of the tapes might be on relations with the kingdom.

More: Jamal Khashoggi was strangled, body dismembered, prosecutor says

More: Khashoggi’s fiancée asks Trump to ‘ensure justice be served’

The Times, citing three sources close to the discussions, said Saudi intelligence officials close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked a group of businessmen last year about the possibility of using private companies to assassinate Qassim Suleimani, the leader of the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps.

The discussions indicate that top Saudi officials have considered assassinations since the beginning of Prince Mohammed’s ascent to power, the Times asserts.

Khashoggi disappeared in early October after entering the consulate to obtain documents in preparation for his marriage. Video footage showed Khashoggi entering, but no video ever showed him leaving.

For weeks Saudi Arabia denied any knowledge of Khashoggi's fate, saying he had left the consulate alive. His disappearance and subsequent reports that Khashoggi had been tortured and killed drew international outrage.

The Saudis ultimately revised the story, saying Khashoggi died after a fight that broke out during his interrogation. The regime said 18 people had been arrested in the incident.

Turkish authorities say Khashoggi was strangled to death and his body dismembered soon after he entered the Saudi consulate.</s>Saudi Arabia has admitted Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside its consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul.

Khashoggi - a Saudi writer, US resident and Washington Post columnist - entered the building on October 2 to obtain documentation certifying he had divorced his ex-wife so he could remarry.

After weeks of repeated denials that it had anything to do with his disappearance, the kingdom eventually acknowledged that the murder was premeditated. The whereabouts of his body are still unknown.

Here are the latest developments:

Trump and Macron say Saudi must give details on Khashoggi killing - report

US President Donald Trump and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, agreed on Saturday that Saudi Arabia needs to shed full light on the events surrounding Khashoggi's murder, Reuters news agency reported, citing a French presidency source.

The two leaders also said the issue should not be allowed to cause further destabilisation in the Middle East and that it could create an opportunity to find a political resolution to the war in Yemen, the official said.

Trump and Macron are in Paris to commemorate the end of World War I.

Erdogan: Turkey shared Khashoggi tapes with Saudi, US and others

Turkey has given recordings on the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia, the United States, Germany, France and Britain, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.

Turkish sources have said previously that authorities have an audio recording purportedly documenting the murder.

Speaking before his departure for France to attend commemorations to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One, Erdogan said Saudi Arabia knows the killer of Jamal Khashoggi is among a group of 15 people who arrived in Turkey one day ahead of the October 2 killing.

"We gave the tapes. We gave them to Saudi Arabia, to the United States, Germans, French and British, all of them. They have listened to all the conversations in them. They know,"Erdogan said.

Turkish police are ending the search for the journalist's body, but the criminal investigation into the Saudi journalist's murder will continue, sources told Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera has learned on Friday that traces of acid were found at the Saudi consul-general's residence in Istanbul, where the body was believed to be disposed of with use of chemicals.

The residence is at walking distance from the Saudi consulate, where Khashoggi was allegedly killed by a team of Saudi officers and officials.

Istanbul's chief prosecutor said on October 31 that Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he entered the consulate and that his body was dismembered, in the first official comments on the case.

Norway announced on Friday that it was suspending new licenses for arms exports to Saudi Arabia following recent developments in the Gulf kingdom and the situation in Yemen.

"We have decided that in the present situation, we will not give new licenses for the export of defence material or multipurpose goods for military use to Saudi Arabia," Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said in a statement.

While Khashoggi's murder was not mentioned, the statement said the decision had been taken following "a broad assessment of recent developments in Saudi Arabia and the unclear situation in Yemen".

The announcement came a week after Norway's foreign minister summoned the Saudi ambassador to Oslo to protest Khashoggi's assassination.

Germany said last month that it would halt its arms exports to Saudi Arabia until the killing of Khashoggi was explained.

Khashoggi's fiancee shocked by reports his body was dissolved

Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi's fiancee, has expressed "shock and sadness" over reports suggesting that his body may have been dissolved with chemicals.

Cengiz said on Twitter late Thursday that Khashoggi's killers had deprived his loved ones of conducting funeral prayers and burying him in the holy city of Medina as he had wished.

In a message to The Associated Press on Friday, Cengiz said she has not received any information from officials to confirm the reports.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told a group of American evangelical leaders earlier this month that those responsible for Khashoggi's killing would be punished.

He also stressed that the crisis must not shift focus away from Iran's threat to the region and the world, according to the delegation's organiser.

In an article posted on Axios, a news website, Barak Ravid of Israel's Channel 10 news quotes Joel Rosenberg as saying bin Salman accused his "enemies" of exploiting Khashoggi's murder, which he called a "heinous act".

Axios: MBS met US evangelicals, said Khashoggi's killers would be punished

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told a group of American evangelical leaders on November 1 that those responsible for Khashoggi's killing would be punished but stressed that the crisis must not shift focus away from Iran's threat to the region and the world, according to the delegation's organiser.

In an article posted on Axios, a news website, Barak Ravid of Israel's Channel 10 news quotes Joel

Rosenberg as saying bin Salman accused his "enemies" of exploiting Khashoggi's murder, which he called a "heinous act".

The meeting, which lasted some two hours, was scheduled before the Khashoggi crisis erupted.

A source in the Turkish attorney general's office told Al Jazeera that the investigative team found traces of hydrofluoric acid and other chemicals inside a well at the Saudi consul general's home in Istanbul.

The source said the killers dissolved the journalist's dismembered body in acid in one of the rooms at Consul General Mohammed al-Otaibi's residence.

Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons, reporting from Istanbul, said the residence was searched by Turkish investigators two weeks after the killing.

"It would appear, according to the source that during that two week period, acid was used to dispose of the dismembered body of Jamal Khashoggi."

Israeli spyware technology may have been used to track down, kill Khashoggi: Snowden

Software made by Israeli-based cybersecurity firm NSO Group Technologies may have been used to track down Khashoggi, fugitive US whistle-blower Edward Snowden told an Israeli audience via video conference.

Snowden said the phone of one of Khashoggi's friends, Omar Abdulaziz - who lives in exile in Canada - had been infected with NSO's Pegasus spyware. The whistle-blower, who now lives in Russia, said the software allowed Saudis to collect information about Khashoggi through Abdulaziz.

"The Saudis, of course, knew that Khashoggi was going to go to the consulate, as he got an appointment. But how did they know his intention and plans?"

"[NSO Group] is the worst of the worst in selling these burglary tools, that are being actively used to violate the human rights of dissidents, opposition figures, activists, to some pretty bad players," Snowden said, "but they are not alone."

US President Donald Trump has said he will have a "much stronger opinion" on the killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi "over the next week".

Trump said he is working with the US Congress, Turkey and Saudi Arabia on solving the October 2 killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

"I am forming a very strong opinion," the US president said during a press conference at the White House.

Saudi Arabia's king has begun a domestic tour with a first stop in the conservative heartland of Qassim province, where he pardoned prisoners serving time on finance charges and announced 16bn riyals - about $4.27bn - in new projects.

This is King Salman's first such tour since he ascended to the throne in 2015 and comes as the kingdom faces international pressure following the killing of writer Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last month.

The state-run news agency reported on Wednesday that the government would pay debts of up to 1m riyals, or $267 000, on behalf of each of the pardoned prisoners.

CIA chief has seen all evidence in relation to Khashoggi murder - source

A Turkish security source has told Al Jazeera that CIA Director Gina Haspel has seen all the evidence related to Khashoggi's killing.

The evidence proves the operation was carried out on orders from the highest level of leadership in Saudi Arabia, the source added.

Haspel was in Turkey last week to review evidence before briefing US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC.

Turkish sources also said that Saudi Arabia would pay "blood money" or compensation to Khashoggi's family and his fiancee.

Turkish media have reported that staff at Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul tried to dismantle security cameras to help cover up the murder of Khashoggi.

The pro-government Sabah newspaper reported that the Saudis tried to rip out the camera inside the consulate on October 2, the day Khashoggi was murdered.

They also tried to tamper with cameras at the police security booth outside the building.

According to the report, at 01:00 on October 6, a consulate member staff went into the police security post outside the Saudi consulate to access the video system.

Sabah reported that the staff member put a digital lock code into the system, which did not dismantle any cameras but rather was intended to prevent access to any videos showing movement at the entrance, including Khashoggi's arrival at the consulate.

Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons reporting from Istanbul said that their attempt was, in any case, irrelevant because the police had already deciphered the coding and accessed the system, retrieving a copy of the video well ahead of the attempt of tampering.

"All of this demonstrates, according to Turkish officials, in terms of the ... whole set of procedures, that there was an effort by the Saudi Arabian consulate to once again tamper with evidence," Simmons said.

"This follows a pattern of leaks which demonstrate beyond any doubt, according to the Turks, that the Saudis weren't out to investigate a murder, they were out to cover it up."

Khashoggi's sons appeal for return of his body

The sons of the slain Saudi journalist issued an appeal for the return of their father's body and said they wanted to return to Saudi Arabia to bury him.

In an interview with CNN, Salah and Abdullah Khashoggi said without their father's body, their family is unable to grieve and deal with the emotional burden of their father's death.

"It's not a normal situation, it's not a normal death at all. All what we want right now is to bury him in Al-Baqi [cemetery] in Medina [Saudi Arabia] with the rest of his family," Salah Khashoggi said.

"I talked about that with the Saudi authorities and I just hope that it happens soon."

Salah Khashoggi on October 24 met the crown prince and King Salman in Riyadh to receive condolences along with other Khashoggi family members. Salah departed for Washington a day later, and his CNN interview was his first public comment since then.

He said King Salman assured him those involved in Khashoggi's murder would be brought to justice.

"We just need to make sure that he rests in peace," Salah Khashoggi said of his father. "Until now, I still can't believe that he's dead. It's not sinking in with me emotionally," he said, adding there had been a lot of "misinformation" about the circumstances of the death.

Salah said accusations that his father was a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood organisation were not true.

Asked how Khashoggi should be remembered, Salah replied, "As a moderate man who has common values with everyone ... a man who loved his country, who believed so much in it and its potential."

"Jamal was never a dissident. He believed in the monarchy, that it is the thing that is keeping the country together. And he believed in the transformation that it is going through."

Countries gathered at the UN in Geneva to review Saudi Arabia's rights record as it faces a torrent of international condemnation over Khashoggi's murder.

Monday's so-called Universal Periodic Review - which all 193 UN member states must undergo every four years - is likely to also focus on Saudi Arabia's role in Yemen's brutal civil war. Washington, which has long backed the Saudi-led coalition, called last week for an end to air attacks in the country.

The Saudi delegation in Geneva will be headed by Bandar Al Aiban, who serves as the head of the country's Human Rights Commission.

The delegation will present a report over the country's efforts to live up to its international human rights obligations and will respond to questions and comments from countries around the world on its record.

Activists are urging countries not to hold back.

"UN member states must end their deafening silence on Saudi Arabia and do their duty of scrutinising the cruelty in the kingdom in order to prevent further outrageous human rights violations in the country and in Yemen," Samah Hadid, Amnesty International's Middle East director of campaigns, said in a statement.

"The Saudi government's long-standing repression of critics, exemplified by the extrajudicial execution of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last month, has until recently been wilfully ignored by UN member states."

A number of countries have already submitted lists of detailed questions for the review, including direct questions from Britain, Austria and Switzerland on the Khashoggi case.

Sweden, meanwhile, is planning to ask: "What measures will be taken to improve the respect for the freedom of expression and the safety of journalists in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?"

Click here for all previous updates</s>Officials from Saudi Arabia, the United States, Germany, France and Britain have listened to audio recordings related to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey’s president said.

In the first public acknowledgement of the existence of tapes of the killing, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also told reporters that Saudi Arabia had to “act fairly” and disclose those responsible for the October 2 killing of The Washington Post journalist to rid itself of “suspicion”.

“We gave them the tapes. We gave them to Saudi Arabia, to America, to the Germans, the French, to the British, to all of them,” Mr Erdogan said before departing for Paris to attend ceremonies marking the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

“They (Saudi officials) also listened to the conversations and they know. There is no need to distort this. They know for certain who among the 15 is the killer or are the killers,” he said.

He was referring to an alleged 15-member assassination squad that Turkey believes was sent to kill Mr Khashoggi at the consulate where he had arrived to obtain papers to marry his Turkish fiancee. Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saudi Arabia had to ‘act fairly’ (Ian Langsdon/Pool Photo via AP)

CIA director Gina Haspel, who visited Turkey last month for information on the investigation, is reported to have heard the audio recordings of the killing.

The existence of the recordings was leaked to the media but never openly confirmed until now.

Turkey says Mr Khashoggi, who was critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was strangled and dismembered at the consulate as part of a premeditated killing.

Media reports have suggested that his body could have been chemically dissolved.

Turkey is seeking the extradition of 18 suspects who have been detained in Saudi Arabia, so they can be put on trial in Turkey. They include the 15 members of the alleged assassination squad.

Saudi Arabia had insisted for weeks after Mr Khashoggi disappeared that he had walked out of the consulate, before changing its account to say he died in a brawl.

Last month, Saudi Arabia acknowledged that Turkish evidence indicates that Mr Khashoggi’s killing was premeditated, shifting its explanation in an apparent effort to ease international outrage over the death.

Saudi officials characterise the killing as a rogue operation carried out by Saudi agents who exceeded their authority.

Yet some of those implicated in the killing are close to the crown prince, including a member of the prince’s entourage on foreign trips who was seen at the consulate before Mr Khashoggi’s slaying.

Mr Erdogan accused Saudi Arabia’s chief prosecutor, who was sent to Istanbul last month as part of a joint probe, of employing “delaying tactics”.

“Saudi Arabia needs to accept that (the killer) is among the 18 and needs to get rid of the suspicion by responding to Turkey’s good will and acting fairly,” Mr Erdogan said.</s>Mr Hunt will fly to the Gulf State today to meet King Salman and the Crown Prince - the first minister to do so since Mr Khashoggi’s death - and will urge the Saudi leaders to cooperate with the international investigation into the journalist’s death. The Foreign Secretary commented on the case ahead of his arrival, saying: “The international community remain united in horror and outrage at the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi one month ago. “It is clearly unacceptable that the full circumstances behind his murder still remain unclear. “We encourage the Saudi authorities to cooperate fully with the Turkish investigation into his death, so that we deliver justice for his family and the watching world.”

Mr Hunt previously stated that Saudi Arabia’s claims Mr Khashoggi died in a fist fight were “not credible”, and vowed to “act accordingly” in response to the murder. Mr Khasoggi disappeared on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to retrieve official divorce papers which would allow him to marry his fiancée - who was waiting outside the consulate building on the day he went missing. Turkey has since claimed it has recordings of the brutal “ISIS-style” attack which implicate Saudi officials in the journalist’s murder. The recordings were subsequently leaked to Turkish media, shortly before Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said they had also been shared with the US, UK, France and Germany.

Mr Erdogan said: “We gave the tapes. We gave them to Saudi Arabia, to the United States, Germans, French and British, all of them.” Mr Hunt is also expected to tackle the issue of the war in Yemen with the Saudi leaders, after the UK has come under increasing pressure to act over the conflict. The Foreign Secretary described the conflict as “incalculable”, and warned that millions of citizens in Yemen face famine and displacement. Commenting on the crisis, he said: “The only solution is now a political decision to set aside arms and pursue peace.

“Britain has a unique position, both as pen-holder at the UN Security Council and as a key influencer in the region, so today I am travelling to the Gulf to demand that all sides committee to this process. “We are witnessing a man-made humanitarian catastrophe on our watch: now is the window to make a difference, and to get behind both the UN peace process and current UK efforts in the Security Council.” Mr Hunt will conclude his visit to the Middle East by visiting the United Arab Emirates, where he will bring up the ongoing case of Matthew Hedges, a 31-year-old Briton who has been detained in the country since May on accusations of espionage.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says that recordings related to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi were issued to Saudi Arabia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and France.