Show us respect or ties will suffer, Saudi envoy tells Britain

Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf, Saudi ambassador to Britain.

LONDON: Stung by criticism in Britain of his country’s human rights record, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador in London threatened “potentially serious repercussions” for the two countries’ relationship unless a more respectful discourse developed.


The comments by Prince Mohammed Bin Nawaf Bin Abdulaziz come after London canceled a prison contract with Riyadh in what was widely seen as an attempt to pressure the Saudi government on a death penalty case and another involving an elderly Briton who faces 350 lashes.


“Over the past few weeks, there has been an alarming change in the way Saudi Arabia is discussed in Britain,” the ambassador wrote in an article published on Monday by the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
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It should be worrying to all those who do not want to see potentially serious repercussions that could damage the mutually beneficial strategic partnership that our countries have so long enjoyed,” he wrote.


Prince Mohammed said Saudi Arabia was one of Britain’s closest military allies in the Middle East and an invaluable source of intelligence on the activities of terrorist groups.
He also said that commercial contracts between the two countries provided over 50,000 British families with livelihoods.


He singled out comments by Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party and an outspoken critic of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, as an example of “mutual respect being breached.”


“If the extensive trade links between the two countries are going to be subordinate to certain political ideologies, then this vital commercial exchange is going to be at risk,” he wrote.


“We want this relationship to continue but we will not be lectured to by anyone.”


A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Cameron said she had not discussed the article with him but said British officials and ministers would continue to raise issues with the Saudi authorities where there were concerns.


A Labour Party spokesman declined to comment specifically on the ambassador’s article but pointed to Corbyn’s conference speech for his views on Saudi issues.