Saudi king to meet Brown over Middle East peace
LONDON (AFP) — King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is to meet with Prime Minister Gordon Brown on 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 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.
On Tuesday evening at a state banquet hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, where he is staying, 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."
London'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 the government had failed to act on intelligence from his country that could have stopped the deadly 2005 London suicide bombings.
Security minister, and former Royal Navy head, Sir Alan West said in The Sun on Wednesday that Britain faced a generational battle against Islamist extremism which could last up to 30 years.
Separately, an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office last year into alleged corruption in a 43-billion-pound arms deal with Saudi Arabia was shelved in December on the grounds of national interest.
On Tuesday, the queen, alongside Prince Philip and Brown, formally welcomed King Abdullah at Horse Guards Parade, with the two monarchs parading up The Mall in an ornate gold and black carriage drawn by six white horses.
In her speech at the banquet, which was attended by more than 170 dignitaries, she described the "shared values" of the two countries, and said the "relationship between us has grown deeper and wider as you are working to diversify Saudi Arabia's economy."
She trumpeted "flourishing" trade and investment between the two countries, as well as cooperation in education and training.
Dozens of protestors from human rights groups and anti-arms trade campaigners lined the parade route, carrying banners with slogans such as "You Can't Do This In Riyadh", while politicians have also criticised the government for its welcoming attitude towards the king.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone -- who has previously said he would like to see Saudi royals "swinging from the lampposts" -- criticised government ministers for "bending over backwards" to keep the Saudis happy in order to secure further lucrative defence deals.
Human rights group Amnesty International published a dossier to coincide with the visit highlighting the "bleak" situation in Saudi Arabia over public beheadings, torture, court-ordered floggings and violence and discrimination against women.
Protestors were set to stage a mass human rights demonstration outside the Saudi embassy in London on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia is a key British ally in the Middle East, both politically and commercially, as a vital source of oil and with booming British exports to the kingdom worth 4.4 billion pounds last year.
King Abdullah is set to visit Italy, Germany and Turkey after leaving London Thursday.
