Editor's Note
King Abdullah ended a four-day state visit to London on Thursday that was marked by ceremonies, government to government meetings and criticism from
among British media and politicians. SUSRIS will mark the close of this portion of King Abdullah's European visits -- Italy, Germany and Turkey lie ahead -- with a
wrap-up assessment by Walid Al Saqaf as well as a compilation of related reports in the links section below.
Triumph for Saudi-UK diplomacy
By Walid Al Saqaf
A quick glance at the editorials in the UK would reveal a sense of discomfort in the British media by the visit of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz to the country.
The negative sentiment in the British press was clear enough for all to see. I presume that the King himself must have realised some Britons weren't as hospitable when he looked through the window of the gilded horse-drawn state couch he was riding, and spotted dozens of protestors carrying signs blasting the Kingdom for "human rights violations" among other things.
While being welcomed by protesters shouting words such as "murderers", "torturers", Kind Abdullah reflected the positive side of the British Society, which he described as "tolerant of all ethnicities, religions and colours".
But what is ironic is the contrast between the critical protests and media coverage and the lavish official reception he had. The level of luxury that was on display was an undeniable gesture that is universally translated to "Welcome, we're honoured to have you here". Hence, it may be wise to pause for a while and think about the reasons for such a split.
The British public, as the case with the American public, has been fed a stereotype about Saudi Arabia and Arabs in general.
Studies and researches have confirmed that a significant bulk of the citizens in Western countries hold negative views of Muslims and Arabs whether it is concerning human rights, extremism, or other aspects. This I believe would have been even more evident after September 11, 2001.
The fact that the nationality of most of the hijackers of the planes that struck the US on 9/11 turned out to be Saudis made things worse and played into the hands of the media.
As a Saudi, Osama Bin Laden was directly linked to his country's culture and identity by many Western media, particularly conservative ones such as Fox News, which ranks first in viewership in the US.
So it may not be surprising to see protesters angry by their government's action in having the head of Saudi Arabia hosted in such a lavish fashion.
On the other hand, the UK, the US and all Western countries accept for a fact that stability in Saudi Arabia is vital for their oil-dependent economies. Being the producer of almost a quarter of the world's exportable oil, Saudi Arabia is certainly not a country to mess around with.
Many industrial countries are already suffering by an unprecedented uptrend in oil prices. The price of crude oil has reached a staggering $95 per barrel rate last week and is expected to go even higher. This is certainly not the best time to appease a few protesters at the expense of relations with the Saudi regime.
The UK didn't even publicly confront the Saudi King's recent remarks, in which he criticised Britain for not acting on warnings the Saudis have given to prevent the July 2005 terrorist attacks in London.
His criticism was so blunt when he said in a BBC interview, "I believe most countries are not taking this issue too seriously including, unfortunately, Great Britain".
Although the AFP news agency had noted a mild reaction in the form of a denial by the Foreign Office and domestic security service MI5, other than that, there was nothing.
Recent reforms
On the other hand, the UK and other Western countries are probably observing the recent reforms carried out by King Abdullah. The latest law of succession, although not relevant to human rights, is a reform measure intended to secure stability in the long run, which I believe is the top priority for the industrial world.
Perhaps to avoid spoiling the celebratory atmosphere of the visit, the UK government lowered the expectations of human rights advocates. The Foreign Office official said that human rights in general would be raised during the visit but there will be "no specific human rights issues that we expect to dominate the next two days".
To put it in a nutshell, it is naive to think that the first visit by a Saudi king, since 20 years, would not result in a split or even a controversy. But on the other hand, the visit also serves as a clear reminder of the approach the West usually pursues to tackle problems and challenges they face with countries, whose stability is important.
Any Briton concerned about the UK's role in promoting human rights, etc, does have a right to protest. But he is most likely to receive a cold response from the government, which in turn could explain its point of view in one word "realism".
Indeed, centuries of experience in colonisation and wars may have taught Britain one valuable lesson, "be realistic and pursue diplomacy to achieve your goals".
After all, didn't they once say, "Diplomacy is the art of letting other people achieve your ends"?
Walid Al Saqaf is an information communications technology and media consultant.
Published in Gulf News on Nov. 2, 2007
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