VOA慢速英语--沙特王储表示 自己对记者卡舒吉之死负有责任

（单词翻译）

Saudi Crown Prince Takes Responsibility for Khashoggi Death

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin¹ Salmon² says he takes “full responsibility” for the killing³ of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But the crown prince is denying reports that he ordered the killing.

“This was a heinous⁴ crime,” Prince Mohammed told the American television show “60 Minutes.” “But I take full responsibility as a leader in Saudi Arabia, especially since it was committed by individuals working for the Saudi government.”

Khashoggi entered the Saudi diplomatic office in Istanbul, Turkey on October 2, 2018. There is no evidence he ever left the building. Saudi Arabia has charged 11 people in connection with his killing.

The crown prince’s comments were broadcast two days after Saudi Arabia announced plans to open its doors to foreign tourists. The Saudi government launched a new visa program for 49 countries on Friday. And it is appealing to foreign companies to invest in the country’s tourism industry.

Saudi Arabia has tightly controlled the flow of foreign visitors for more than half a century. Recently, the Muslim kingdom has begun to ease its rules. Men and women are no longer required to be in separate areas in public places. And, women are no longer required to wear black clothing from head to foot.

Saudi Arabia’s tourism chief Ahmed al-Khateeb noted⁵ that alcoholic⁶ drinks will still be banned. “We will have enough tourists to come to Saudi Arabia to enjoy other things,” he told the Reuters news agency.

Until now, most of the foreigners going to Saudi Arabia have been business travelers, individuals working in the country and their families. The government approves special visas to Muslims who want to visit Mecca and Medina, two of Islam’s holiest cities.

Seeking investments

For the Saudi government’s new plan to succeed, Saudi Arabia must hold down threats from Iran, its long-time enemy.

The government blames Iran for an attack last month on Saudi oil processing centers. Iran denies the accusation⁷.

Khateeb said the country is “very, very safe” and the attack would not affect plans to increase tourists.

But why would a tourist want to go to Saudi Arabia?

“We have a great culture where many, many tourists would love to come and explore this culture and learn more about it and see it and experience it,” said Khateeb.

The government wants to bring in 100 million tourists a year by 2030, more than double the current number. It also wants to create more than one million tourism jobs.

Getting hundreds of thousands of Saudis into the workplace remains⁸ a major issue for the crown prince. Currently, the official unemployment rate is over 12 percent.

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

journalist – n. a news reporter or media worker

heinous – adj. shockingly evil

commit – v. to carry out

tourist – n. someone who makes a trip for pleasure or cultural reasons