Saudi king to meet Britain's Brown over Middle East peace
Thursday, 1 November 2007
LONDON, Oct 31 (AFP): King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is to meet with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Wednesday to discuss the Middle East peace process and counter-terrorism amid a state visit that has sparked protests and controversy.
On the second official day of his trip to London, the monarch is also to meet with Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, and opposition Conservative Party leader David Cameron.
His discussions with Brown will centre on counter-terrorism, Iran, the Middle East peace process, Iraq and Lebanon.
A spokeswoman for Brown's Downing Street office has previously said the prime minister would "raise issues he believes to be appropriate".
The Saudi monarch's role in the Middle East peace process has been key, as the country held an Arab summit in Riyadh in March to present the Arab peace initiative to Israel.
The five-year-old Saudi-authored blueprint offers Israel peace and normal ties if it withdraws from all land seized in the 1967 Middle East war and allows the creation of a Palestinian state and return of Palestinian refugees.
At a state banquet hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, where he is staying, on Tuesday evening, the king, speaking in Arabic, said that he was certain Britain would do everything it could to put an end to "the tragic ordeal of our Palestinian brethren".
He also warned of "ominous signs of war and conflict" in the world, which must be faced with "wisdom and courage so that we may not slip into the abyss."
Britain's bilateral counter-terrorism relationship with Saudi Arabia has also been a hot-button subject during the state visit, as the Saudi monarch claimed before arriving that Britain had failed to act on intelligence from his country that could have stopped the deadly 2005 London suicide bombings.
On the second official day of his trip to London, the monarch is also to meet with Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, and opposition Conservative Party leader David Cameron.
His discussions with Brown will centre on counter-terrorism, Iran, the Middle East peace process, Iraq and Lebanon.
A spokeswoman for Brown's Downing Street office has previously said the prime minister would "raise issues he believes to be appropriate".
The Saudi monarch's role in the Middle East peace process has been key, as the country held an Arab summit in Riyadh in March to present the Arab peace initiative to Israel.
The five-year-old Saudi-authored blueprint offers Israel peace and normal ties if it withdraws from all land seized in the 1967 Middle East war and allows the creation of a Palestinian state and return of Palestinian refugees.
At a state banquet hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, where he is staying, on Tuesday evening, the king, speaking in Arabic, said that he was certain Britain would do everything it could to put an end to "the tragic ordeal of our Palestinian brethren".
He also warned of "ominous signs of war and conflict" in the world, which must be faced with "wisdom and courage so that we may not slip into the abyss."
Britain's bilateral counter-terrorism relationship with Saudi Arabia has also been a hot-button subject during the state visit, as the Saudi monarch claimed before arriving that Britain had failed to act on intelligence from his country that could have stopped the deadly 2005 London suicide bombings.