UK supports Saudi led bloodbath in Yemen, strikes trade deal

The Saudi led military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen has already led to the loss of nearly 10,000 lives, 50,000 wounded, and the worst Cholera outbreak in history. Domestically, Saudi Arabia has been home to a host of human rights violations, many of which are still ongoing, despite some reforms.

But all of this not particularly important to the British government, which is presently in a pinch to secure new trade deals as its participation in the EU comes to a close. The New Arab reports:

The foreign minister of Britain has defended the brutal Saudi-led military intervention in neighbouring Yemen, which has killed more than 9,300 people and wounded more than 50,000.

“Britain supports Saudi Arabia’s right to defend its national security against missile attacks from Yemen, many of which have targeted the Kingdom’s cities, including Riyadh,” Boris Johnson said.

British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson made the remarks in a statement on Thursday, as the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman makes a controversial visit to the UK.

Britain and Saudi Arabia have meanwhile agreed to strengthen inspections for shipments to Yemen to allow humanitarian aid to reach the war-torn country.

“Today we have agreed to strengthen the UN inspection of shipping in order to ensure that all Yemeni ports remain open to the humanitarian and commercial supplies that Yemen’s people so desperately need,” Johnson said.

Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a military intervention in Yemen in 2015 with the aim of rolling back Houthi rebels who had seized the capital and restoring the government to power.

Foodstuff imports have been restricted for months after Saudi Arabia and its allies blockaded Yemen’s ports, accusing Iran of supplying the rebels with ballistic missiles.

Prince Mohammed is on a three-day visit to Britain, which began with a lunch with Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday, and will see him hold the second of two meetings with Prime Minister Theresa May later Thursday.

Around 200 demonstrators lined up outside the gates of Downing Street on Wednesday evening to condemn Riyadh’s involvement in the brutal war in Yemen.

“Bin Salman is a war criminal,” the crowd shouted while holding up placards saying: “Hands off Yemen” and “Stop Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia and UAE”.

The UK has licensed £4.6 billion ($6.3 billion) worth of arms to Saudi Arabia since it began the intervention in neighbouring Yemen.

Meanwhile, the Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman is in the midst of historic meetings with Queen Elizabeth, and also with Prime Minister Theresa May.

As the queen met with bin Salman, a heated argument went down in the British parliament, spearheaded by Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition, just prior to May’s own meeting with the crown prince to secure a 65 billion pound trade agreement. Which meeting seems to demonstrate that trade deals and profits are far more important than human lives, especially when they’re not British lives. France24 reports:

Prime Minister Theresa May defended Britain’s links to security ally Saudi Arabia on Wednesday as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Queen Elizabeth for lunch on a high-profile visit that drew protests over Riyadh’s human rights record.

A fiery exchange in parliament between May and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn underlined tension in Britain over Prince Mohammed’s trip, which was aimed at building a broader economic partnership between the two countries, but has sparked anger about alleged human rights abuses and the war in Yemen.

“The link that we have with Saudi Arabia is historic, it is an important one, and it has saved the lives of potentially hundreds of people in this country,” May said, pausing her answer briefly as opposition lawmakers cried “Shame!”. She was alluding to intelligence-sharing on Islamist militant suspects.

Crown Prince of #SaudiArabia meets The Queen at #BuckinghamPalace in an historic moment that starts the beginning of HRH’s three-day visit to the #UnitedKingdom #CrownPrinceUK pic.twitter.com/aMgW6kLhEt

— Saudi Embassy UK (@SaudiEmbassyUK) March 7, 2018

The debate took place as Prince Mohammed lunched with the British monarch on the first leg of a trip packed with displays of diplomatic affection designed to help widen long-standing defence ties into a more far-reaching partnership.

May later met Prince Mohammed at her Downing Street office, extending a warm diplomatic welcome to the conservative kingdom’s heir apparent and agreeing a 65 billion pound ($90.29 billion) trade and investment target.

Britain is looking for trading partners as it exits the European Union, and energy powerhouse Saudi Arabia needs to convince sceptical investors about its domestic reforms.

Prince Charming. This week’s @spectator cover #MuhammadBinSalman pic.twitter.com/752N9RrWrb

— Morten Morland (@mortenmorland) March 7, 2018

“This is a significant boost for UK prosperity and a clear demonstration of the strong international confidence in our economy as we prepare to leave the European Union,” a spokeswoman from May’s office said after the meeting.

But demonstrators gathered outside May’s office amid a heavy police presence to protest at both countries’ role in Yemen, where war has killed around 10,000 people. A Saudi-led coalition intervened militarily in Yemen in 2015 and critics say Riyadh has been using British-supplied weapons in devastating strikes.

“I don’t believe that someone like Mohammed bin Salman should be welcomed in Britain,” said Hassan Yassine, a 25-year-old customer service worker from London. “It is definitely not ethical, bearing in mind what is going on in Yemen every single day, every single second, even as we speak.”

Corbyn said British military advisers were “directing the war” in Yemen. May’s spokesman said British personnel had no role in carrying out coalition air strikes, and were not involved in Saudi targeting decisions.

Strategic partnership

Police said a man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after an egg was thrown at a police vehicle as bin Salman’s motorcade arrived in Downing Street.

Wednesday’s first official engagement was a trip to Buckingham Palace to see Queen Elizabeth – a rare honour usually reserved for heads of state.

The Saudi delegation then met May at her offices to launch a UK-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council.

The meeting set out the mutual trade and investment target, which would include direct investment in Britain and new Saudi public procurement with British companies. This would be spread across sectors including finance, education, healthcare, renewable energy and defence, May’s office said.

Britain is vying to land the stock market listing of state oil firm Saudi Aramco, but no decision is expected this week.

“We would like the Aramco share option to be issued in the United Kingdom and we will continue to suggest the City would be the best place for it,” junior foreign office minister Alistair Burt told parliament.

The visit of HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman ushers in a new era in our bilateral relations focused on a partnership that delivers wide-ranging benefits for both our countries. #CrownPrinceVisit

— Foreign Office ???????? (@foreignoffice) March 6, 2018

Later this month Prince Mohammed visits the United States, which also wants the lucrative listing, although sources said both countries might miss out.

British officials were privately delighted at the decision by Prince Mohammed, 32, to choose Britain as the major Western destination on his first foreign trip since becoming heir to the Saudi throne last year.

The British government is keen to develop a two-way trade and investment relationship, eyeing both an expanded market in Saudi Arabia for service sector exports, and attracting Saudi cash to finance domestic projects.

For his part, Saudi Arabia’s ambitious heir wants to show that “shock” reforms have made his country a better place to invest and a more tolerant society.

Photographs posted online showed London taxis displaying advertising graphics welcoming Prince Mohammed, and electronic billboards around the capital promoted pro-Saudi messages with the hashtag #anewsaudiarabia.

Business deals are possible with British defence group BAE Systems and European weapons maker MBDA, and initial agreements could be concluded on gas exploration, petrochemicals and other industries, according to British and Saudi sources.

Royal treatment

The three-day visit will include a second Royal audience – dinner with Prince Charles and Prince William on Wednesday – and a prestigious visit to May’s country residence on Thursday.

The prime minister intends to use the private dinner at Chequers, a 16th-century manor house 40 miles (60 km) northwest of London, to further press her concerns over the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, her spokesman said.

The Saudi-led coalition is fighting the Iran-allied Houthi movement in Yemen in a campaign to restore its internationally recognised government, generating what the United Nations said in January is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Peter Brookes on Theresa May’s defence of UK ties with Saudi Arabia – political cartoon gallery in Putney pic.twitter.com/q50GNnCK6A

— Political Cartoon (@Cartoon4sale) March 7, 2018

Demonstrators are protesting against Britain for licensing 4.6 billion pounds of weapons sales to Saudi Arabia since 2015.

May said all arms sales were strictly regulated, that Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the conflict was backed by the U.N. Security Council and her government supported it.

“The prime minister and crown prince agreed on the importance of full and unfettered humanitarian and commercial access, including through the ports, and that a political solution was ultimately the only way to end the conflict and humanitarian suffering in Yemen,“ the statement from May’s office said.

Meanwhile, other nations are given ultimatums about handling their alleged human rights violations before any talks take place, whether it be Iran, North Korea, Syria, etc, but not the Saudis. Any time they feel that their regime could be facing a threat, whether real or imagined, they are justified in whatever actions they take.

If it’s a nation that UK leaders don’t have the fondest relations with, they are not allowed to defend their sovereignty, they are bad guys, and a change in regime would be utterly fantastic, as we saw in Syria. If NATO claims that they support terrorists, then there is another reason to invade or blockade, but when NATO’s friends do it, well, just don’t pay attention to that.

This sort of behaviour leads to the conclusion that the concerns about human rights that some western nations yell so loudly about, even as an excuse to invade and topple regimes, is more of a political stunt to reshape the map in their favour than a peace keeping organization, or force for the protection of human life and liberty.