October 28, 2007

Translation: The U.K. is Scared Britless That the Saudis Will Pull Their Money Out of the Country

Saudi king’s state visit to Britain faces protests, boycotts

Britain’s most sensitive and controversial relationship in the Middle East faces protests and boycotts during a state visit by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, just weeks after a lucrative new defence contract made clear that it was business as usual between the two countries.

The Saudi monarch and his most senior ministers will be the guests of the Queen at Buckingham Palace during a visit that will include a ceremonial welcome on Horse Guards Parade, two banquets and meetings with Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Prince Charles.

But Vince Cable, the acting Liberal Democrat leader, announced yesterday that he would boycott the rare visit because of the Saudi record on human rights, including its maltreatment of British citizens. “It is quite wrong for the British government to have proposed a state visit at this time,” Mr Cable said. Other groups plan protests over weapons sales, the kingdom’s human rights abuses and its homophobic laws.

King Abdullah, 82, came to the throne two years ago. Known as “the Custodian of the Two Holy Places” (of Mecca and Medina) he has reformist instincts, but progress in the kingdom has been halting.

Saudi Arabia is Britain’s biggest trading partner in the Middle East and the UK is its second biggest foreign investor.

The four-day visit, which begins today, was announced months after the Serious Fraud Office was forced by Tony Blair’s government to drop - on alleged national security grounds - an investigation into alleged corruption tied to BAE arms sales to Saudi Arabia, part of the massive al-Yamamah deal. …

Posted by: Sapphocrat

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