France and Germany's leaders said Saturday they want a "coordinated" European position for restrictions on arms sales to Saudi Arabia after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to the French presidency, i24 News reports.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel moved to quash a rare dispute between the close European allies after Macron implied on Friday that Berlin was engaging in "pure demagoguery" by halting arms sales to Riyadh.
On the sidelines of a Syria summit in Istanbul, the two leaders had a "relaxed exchange", the Elysee palace said, and agreed not to announce their next positions on the issue without first coordinating "at the European level".
