Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince discuss steps to bring transparency to Khashoggi killing: source

FILE PHOTO: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey October 21, 2018. Cem Oksuz/Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan spoke to Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman on Wednesday, and the two discussed the steps needed to bring to light all aspects of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a presidential source said. Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and a U.S. resident, disappeared three weeks ago after a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Riyadh, which initially denied knowledge of his whereabouts, has since said he died in a "fistfight". It later blamed Khashoggi's death on a "rogue operation". The journalist was a critic of the crown prince, the kingdom's de facto ruler. Erdogan has said Turkey will not let the killers escape justice, not matter how highly placed they were. (Reporting by Tulay Karadeniz and Ali Kucukgocmen; Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by David Dolan)