Britain in Talks With Saudi Arabia Over Arms Deal: Report
AFP
Tue, 27 Sep 2005, 11:58
Britain has been in secret discussions with Saudi Arabia over a major arms deal, but talks are stalling after Riyadh asked for three tricky favors, a British newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The Guardian daily said Prime Minister Tony Blair and Defense Minister John Reid had both traveled to the Saudi capital in pursuit of the agreement, which is worth up to 40 billion pounds ($71 billion, 59 billion euros).
Blair went on July 2, en route to Singapore, where Britain was bidding for the 2012 Olymics, and Reid followed three weeks later for a two-day visit.
The newspaper said Britain’s defense minister sought to persuade Prince Sultan, the crown prince, to re-equip his air force with a European fighter plane called the Typhoon, which is largely manufactured by British defense and aerospace giant BAE Systems.
At the same time, the Guardian quoted anonymous defense, diplomatic and legal sources as saying: “Negotiations are stalling because the Saudis are demanding three favors.â€
The first request was that Britain expels two anti-Saudi dissidents -- Saad al-Faqih and Mohammed al-Masari, according to the newspaper.
Faqih, who has asylum in Britain, is accused of being involved in a plot to assassinate King Abdullah.
The Guardian said he denied support for violence and it noted that the Foreign Office does not believe him to be a danger to the country.
Masari apparently fled Saudi Arabia in 1994 for Britain.
The second request is for British Airways to resume flights to Riyadh, which have been cancelled because of fears of attacks by extremists.
Finally Saudi Arabia asked that a corruption investigation implicating the Saudi ruling family and BAE should be dropped.
The Guardian said Crown Prince Sultan’s son-in-law, Prince Turki bin Nasr, was at the center of a “slush fund†probe by the Serious Fraud Office.
Neither Blair’s offices in Downing Street or the Ministry of Defense could immediately comment on the report.