A 74-year-old British grandfather who was facing 350 lashes in Saudi Arabia for breaking the country’s strict anti-alcohol laws has said he is “humbled” after arriving back in the UK.
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Ahead of the two-day meeting, Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said windows of cooperation have long existed “but haven’t been open enough to take advantage of the capabilities” of both regions.
But the savage, oil-rich regime is still expected to behead and crucify Saudi teenager Ali Mohammed al-Nimr for allegedly attending anti-government protests.
In an interview with The Sun he said his supporters have “saved my life” and added: “I am overwhelmed by the support and am grateful to Prime Minister David Cameron and the Government for stepping in”.
London-based Amnesty on Monday put the number of executions at 151 this year, the highest since 192 people were put to death in 1995.
He commended Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan for hosting millions of Syrian refugees, as well as Brazil and the other Latin American countries that have pledged to grant asylum, appealing to other countries to show similar solidarity as winter approaches.
Many prisoners don’t understand Arabic, and are routinely denied translation services during their trials.
Arab and South American countries have much in common, not least “the great legacy of rich values and customs” they share.
“We need to work with the Saudis to establish that worldwide humanitarian law has been complied with”.
“The world will never achieve 100 percent of its goals without 50 percent of its people as full and equal participants”, he said in Saudi Arabia, the only country in the world where women are not allowed to drive.
The deals include the sale to the oil-rich regime of more Typhoon Eurofighter jets, built in part by BAE Systems. Hammond did concede that there needs to be an investigation to see if Saudi Arabia is telling the truth.
King Salman recalled the “extraordinary relations” between the two blocs, saying that “this partnership has brought us onto one platform”.
Saudi Arabia has issued a manifesto for change – in the face of rumours of coup plots and global pressure – ranging from economic reform to the role of women, and allowing human rights groups into the country for the first time.
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With more than 30 percent of the budget identified in the programme as waste, the officials appear to indicate that they plan to cut subsidies, increase spending on infrastructure and diversify income sources, including partnering with the United Kingdom, USA and France potentially in the technology field.
