Lib Dem leader to boycott Saudi visit
Vince Cable MP, the Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats, is to boycott the state visit of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to the United Kingdom. According to the BBC:
Mr Cable says he will not attend any of the planned ceremonial events - as would be normal for the leader of one of the main opposition parties.
Mr Cable told the BBC’s Today programme that by any assessment of Saudi Arabia, “the human rights record is appalling”.
He also cited the regime’s arms deal with the British firm BAE and the row over alleged corruption surrounding it.
The International Herald Tribune quotes from Vince Cable’s letter to the Saudi ambassador:
“I have introduced three debates in Parliament this year expressing serious concerns over the al-Yamamah contract and the corruption allegedly involved. I have, in my arguments, also been very critical of members of the Saudi royal family and the Saudi record on human rights, including its maltreatment of British citizens,” the letter said.
“In my opinion, it is quite wrong for the British government to have proposed a state visit at this time. Therefore, it would, I believe, be inappropriate for me to participate in a ceremonial state visit against this background.”
Read more from:
Posted in Al Yamamah, Saudi Arabia, Vince Cable |
October 29th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
[...] You can hear Vince give his reasons - citing Saudi Arabia’s “appalling” human rights record - on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme here. And the Lib Dems’ Corruption is a Crime website has more here. [...]
October 30th, 2007 at 10:17 am
[...] up yesterday’s story about Vince Cable’s boycott of the Saudi state visit, here’s a link to his article in [...]