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British Prime Minister Theresa May could meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G20 summit starting on Friday, and may raise the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and Riyadh's devastating war in Yemen.

"We have been engaging with the Saudi government in recent weeks in the wake of the murder of Mr Khashoggi and we have been doing so in order to deliver a message that we want full accountability and full transparency," a senior British official told Reuters, when asked if May would shake the crown prince's hand at the summit.

"If that opportunity arises for the prime minister to repeat that message and also to deliver important messages, in relation to Yemen for instance, then I'm sure she will take the opportunity to do so ... Engagement is important if we are to address these issues."

Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Argentina on Wednesday, hoping to shrug off international outrage over the 2 October murder of Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi embassy in Istanbul.

It is the first major international event he has attended since the brutal murder of the journalist.

May and the Saudi crown prince are not yet scheduled to meet one-on-one at the two-day meeting of the world's top twenty economies.

The killing of Khashoggi has put a spotlight on Britain's ties with Riyadh, with London under increased pressure to cease arm sales to Saudi Arabia due to the high death toll of civilians in air raids in Yemen.

Last week, Finland announced it will block new arms export licences to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, citing the murder of Khashoggi and the countries' role in Yemen's humanitarian crisis.

The suspension mirrors earlier decisions by Denmark, Norway and Germany to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia for the time being over the killing and over the kingdom's part in Yemen's war which has left 14 million people facing starvation, according to the UN.

Agencies contributed to this report.