UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Friday the Human Rights Council has the capacity to probe the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"The Human Rights Council has the possibility to take decisions in relation to launching different forms of interaction," Guterres said at a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York. "There are many instruments Human Rights Council can use, requested by member states, and I am not in a position to encourage member states. I'm saying these instruments are available."

UN Human Rights Chief Michele Bachelet said last month that the killing of Khashoggi deserves an international investigation, however, the UN does not have the jurisdiction to launch one.

Khashoggi, a contributor to The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

After producing various contradictory explanations, Riyadh acknowledged he was killed inside the consulate building, blaming the act on a botched rendition operation.

While an investigation and trial was held in Saudi Arabia, the UN said it found the probe insufficient.

In response to a question by Anadolu Agency, the UN chief said he himself also did not have power to launch an investigation into the journalist's murder.

"I don't have the right to launch any investigation, there is a huge confusion about what the Secretary General can and can't do," Guterres said.

"I do not have the right to launch a criminal investigation myself and no formal criminal investigation was requested to me by any member state," he added.

Khashoggi killing exposes Saudi abuses: Rights group The killing last October of a Saudi journalist in Istanbul is putting other “abuses” by Saudi Arabia in the spotlight, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch.The World Report 2019 by the New York-based group details attacks in Yemen by a Saudi-led coalition that it said may amount to war crimes as well as repression of dissidents and human rights activists at home.“The [Jamal] Khashoggi murder has not only wrecked Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s reputation but has exposed a pattern of lawless behavior by Saudi leadership,” said Michael Page, HRW’s deputy Middle East and North Africa director.“If Saudi Arabia has any hope of rehabilitating its tattered image, the authorities should immediately release everyone they’ve locked away merely for their peaceful criticism," he added.Saudi Arabia has committed numerous violations of international humanitarian law as the leader of a coalition taking part in military operations against the Houthis in Yemen, said the report, citing the attack on a wedding last April that killed 22 and wounded more than 50.Since 2015, Saudi Arabia and several of its Arab allies have waged a massive military campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebel group, which overran much of the country a year earlier.The conflict has destroyed much of Yemen’s basic infrastructure, including water and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as one of “the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times.”Khashoggi, a contributor to The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After producing various contradictory explanations, Riyadh acknowledged that he was killed inside the consulate building, blaming the act on a botched rendition operation.Turkey has sought the extradition of the Saudi citizens involved in the killing as well as a fuller accounting of the killing from Riyadh.

UN chief backs Turkey's legitimate security concerns

Turkey has justifiable security interests in northeastern Syria, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Friday amid calls for a buffer zone the area.

Guterres said any solution must take into account Syria's territorial integrity, the "legitimate security concerns" of Turkey, and recognition of Syria's diversity.

"These are the three criteria that we have in analyzing any proposal that might eventually exist," Guterres said.

In a Twitter post on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump proposed the establishment of a 20-mile (32-kilometer) wide safe zone in Syria's eastern Euphrates region. Later, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone talk with his U.S. counterpart and evaluated the details of the safe zone.

The proposal will be discussed during an upcoming Russian-Turkish presidential-level meeting, according to Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin.