G20 summit: Macron and Saudi crown prince in extraordinary exchange over Khashoggi murder and Yemen
Two-day summit intended to focus on development, infrastructure and food security
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Your support makes all the difference.The G20 Summit in Argentina kicked off with world leaders huddling on the sidelines to discuss their response to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was seen discussing the death with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who appeared to be ignored during the group’s official “family photo” portrait session.
Meanwhile, confusion remains over whether Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet during the summit.
See the latest updates in our live blog below
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The president kicked off Friday morning with a series of angry tweets after the White House reaffirmed he had cancelled an expected discussion with Mr Putin, despite the Kremlin claiming otherwise.
“Oh, I get it! I am a very good developer, happily living my life, when I see our Country going in the wrong direction (to put it mildly). Against all odds, I decide to run for President & continue to run my business-very legal & very cool, talked about it on the campaign trail...,” he tweeted.
“....Lightly looked at doing a building somewhere in Russia. Put up zero money, zero guarantees and didn’t do the project. Witch Hunt!”
Reports suggest Mr Trump is in a “terrible mood” and “completely distracted” as he headed to the event.
The president responded to news of Mr Cohen’s plea deal by saying he was a “weak person and not a very smart person.”
Mr Trump will be having a number of meetings at the summit in Buenos Aires starting the day at 6.50am local time and finishing 10.10pm. He said on Thursday he had cancelled a meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, due to the country’s conflict with Ukraine.
The president has downgraded a number of his bilateral meetings as he feels “there’s nothing in them for him”, according to CNN.
Issues such as the trade war between the US and China and the conflict over Ukraine are likely to dominate the agenda.
Ahead of the summit Mr Trump said current tariff levels on Chinese imports would rise as planned.
The summit is being held in South America for the first time and Michael Shifter, head of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based think tank, said G20 summits wer once considered an opportunity for Latin American members Argentina, Brazil and Mexico to shape the global agenda.
“That turned out to be a fleeting aspiration,” Mr Shifter said.
“...Argentine president Mauricio Macri, the summit’s host, has lowered expectations. ... Now a success would be a summit meeting that goes smoothly, without any major disruption.”
Here’s a photo of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meeting with Chinese President Xi JinPing at the G20 Summit in Argentina. The crown prince appeared to have been mostly ignored by world leaders during an official “family photo” portrait session amid tensions surrounding the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khasshogi. Global intelligence agencies have linked the crown prince to the murder that took place in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Here's The Independent's deputy political editor Rob Merrick on the latest developments surrounding French President Emanuel Macron confronting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi:
Donald Trump has been briefed on the major 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Alaksa, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted from the G20 Summit in Argentina Friday. "We are praying for the safety of all Alaskans!" she wrote.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman continues to receive a seemingly warm welcome from the heads of state attending the G20 Summit in Argentina, despite global agencies linking him to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Here he is pictured with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi:
Donald Trump has continued celebrating the USMCA deal he signed Friday morning at the G20 Summit in Argentina alongside Canada and Mexico, claiming on Twitter the deal was "sooo much better than NAFTA!"
The spouses of G20 world leaders posed for a photo at the UNESCO cultural centre in Buenos Aires called the Villa Ocampo:
Reports indicate US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is currently meeting at the US delegation hotel with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al Jubeir.
The news follows additional reports indicating Donald Trump had a brief discussion with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Argentina.
It appears the vast majority of protests and demonstrations near the G20 Summit in Argentina have subsided, with reporters noting most were peaceful and law-abiding. Here's a shot showing the dissipated crowd:
More on the meeting between Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman:
CNN has reportedly confirmed the two world leaders met briefly on the sidelines of the G20 summit. It remains unclear what was discussed and whether there will be a readout of those talks. The White House did not respond to enquiries.
Donald Trump has been "very active and committed" in the dialogue with G20 members, a top Argentine Treasury official has said.
Laura Jaitman said she is hopeful a final joint statement will be possible at the summit, which began in Buenos Aires on Friday.
She said world leaders have made progress in talks about the challenges of the global economy regarding finance and trade.
European officials had said earlier the US is blocking progress on agreeing how to fix world trading rules, fight climate change and deal with migration.
Ms Jaitman said "there's a very positive message of how trade has been an engine of growth for the next decades and how it will continue in the future providing benefits for all citizens."
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