French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel remained at odds on Saturday over the issue of halting lucrative arms sales to Saudi Arabia in response to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The disagreement led to a rare dispute between the close European allies on Friday, when Macron implied that Berlin was engaging in “pure demagoguery” after Merkel announced a freeze on arms sales to Riyadh. The suspension would remain in place until the circumstances of the dissident’s murder inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul were clarified, she said.
