UK Greets Abdullah With Pomp,
Pageant
Arab News
LONDON, 31 October 2007 � Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King
Abdullah received a red carpet welcome from Queen Elizabeth II
yesterday as he began a state visit to the UK, the first by a
Saudi king in 20 years. The queen, alongside her husband Prince
Philip and Prime Minister Gordon Brown, formally welcomed King
Abdullah at Horse Guards Parade in central London, where he
inspected a guard of honor.
The two monarchs then proceeded up the Mall, festooned with
British and Saudi flags, to Buckingham Palace in an ornate gold
and black carriage drawn by six white horses. The Queen later
hosted a private lunch at Buckingham Palace in honor of
Abdullah, attended by the Duke of Edinburgh and
heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles as well as the delegation
accompanying the king.
After a day of ceremony, King Abdullah will meet Prime Minister
Brown today to discuss counterterrorism, Iran, the Middle East
peace process, Iraq and Lebanon, sources told Arab News. A
spokeswoman for Brown�s Downing Street office said Monday that
the prime minister would �raise issues he believes to be
appropriate� with the king.
King Abdullah arrived here on Monday on the first leg of a
European tour, which will also take him to Italy, Germany and
Turkey. He leaves London tomorrow.
A Foreign Office official, speaking on condition of anonymity,
played down King Abdullah�s remarks in a BBC interview on Monday
that Saudi Arabia had conveyed intelligence to Britain that
could have prevented the 2005 London bombings, which killed 52
commuters.
At Buckingham Palace, King Abdullah, accompanied by Queen
Elizabeth, visited an exhibition of gifts, messages and pictures
of political importance. The king looked at some of the letters
exchanged by Saudi and British leaders since the time of King
Abdul Aziz as well as gifts presented by the Kingdom to British
leaders.
The BBC reported yesterday that King Abdullah�s visit showed how
Saudi Arabia had become one of the UK�s closest allies in the
Middle East, with the relationship going beyond security and
trade.
Last month, Saudi Arabia signed a huge deal for the purchase of
72 Typhoon fighter jets from Britain, reflecting the strong
military and economic ties between the two countries.
British Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells yesterday opened an
exhibition highlighting Saudi-British historic relations at the
Victoria & Albert Museum. Organized by the Saudi Ministry of
Culture and Information, the photo exhibition is being held to
mark the king�s historic visit to the UK.
Saudi Culture and Information Minister Iyad Madani said the
exhibition reflected the strong relations between Saudi Arabia
and the UK. He emphasized the role of cultural exchanges in
removing stereotypes in the minds of people about other
societies.
He highlighted Saudi Arabia�s cultural progress over the past
years. �More than 400 new Saudi novels have been published
during the last few years,� he said, adding that Saudi novels
are in big demand in neighboring Arab countries.
In his speech, Howells underscored the strong relations between
Saudi Arabia and his country. He noted Riyadh�s efforts to
promote peace in the Middle East and narrow the differences of
parties involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The exhibition included some rare photographs provided by the
King Abdul Aziz Public Library in Riyadh.
Speaking to reporters later, Madani said cultural relations
between peoples were essential for promoting economic and
political relations between countries. He said the Supreme
Commission for Tourism in Saudi Arabia would sign a cooperation
agreement with the British Museum. He also disclosed plans to
hold a Saudi cultural week in Azerbaijan soon.
The Two Kingdoms Dialogue, which began here on Monday, ended its
deliberations that focused on ways of strengthening political,
economic and educational cooperation between the two countries.
The participants discussed the challenges facing young men and
women in both countries and emphasized the need for inculcating
moderate ideas and tolerant concepts in their minds. The
dialogue also focused on expanding cooperation between Saudi and
British universities and prospects for setting up Saudi-British
technical training institutes in the Kingdom.
Nasser Al-Ghafees, governor of the General Organization for
Technical Education and Vocational Training, said the annual
forum also discussed the possibility of training trainers of the
organization�s colleges and institutes.
�The two countries will sign a memorandum of understanding on
technical education and vocational training during the king�s
visit,� Ghafees told the Saudi Press Agency.
The king will have a separate meeting with Prince Charles at
Clarence House when the Prince of Wales will brief the king on
his charitable activities. King Abdullah will then attend a
banquet tonight held by the Lord Mayor at which the Duke of York
will represent the queen.
The queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will bid farewell to their
royal guest tomorrow. King Abdullah has paid previous official
visits to Britain in 1973, 1984, 1988 and 1998. This is
Abdullah�s first official visit to Britain after he became king.
Source:
Arab News
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