No Script

Please Wait...

Ramadan Kareem...

UK MP Refuses to Withdraw Support for Saudis

UK MP Refuses to Withdraw Support for Saudis
folder_openEurope... access_time7 years ago
starAdd to favorites

Local Editor

Theresa May refused to say if she will withdraw backing for Saudi Arabian membership of the UN Human Rights Council, despite the kingdom being accused of civilian atrocities in Yemen.

UK MP Refuses to Withdraw Support for Saudis

The Prime Minister was confronted by Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn who demanded to know if the UK will vote for continued Saudi membership at a crucial ballot later this month.

It comes amid renewed bombardment of Yemen by Saudi-led coalition forces and news that the UK is training the Kingdom's pilots.

Earlier this month the Saudi-led coalition admitted responsibility for the bombing of a funeral that martyred 140 people and wounded 600 more.

Raising the issue at Prime Minister's Questions Corbyn said: "Three years ago the United Kingdom backed Saudi Arabian membership of the UN Human Rights councils. On the 28th of October, there are elections again for the UN Human Rights Council.

"A UN panel has warned that Saudi Arabia's bombing of Yemen has violated international law."

He then cited concerns from Amnesty International over executions, discrimination against women and torture, before adding: "Will her government again be backing the Saudi dictatorship for membership of that committee?"

May refused to answer the question directly, only saying that where there are "legitimate human rights concerns" over Saudi Arabia, then the UK would raise them with the country.

She added: "In relation to the action in Yemen, we have been clear that we want the incidents that have been referred, to be properly investigated," stressing the UK's "important relationship" with Saudi Arabia.

Since the conflict began last year, the British government had approved more than £3 billion [$3.7 billion] in arms sales to the Saudis and military contractors hope more deals are in the pipeline.

Yemen has been under almost daily airstrikes by Saudi Arabia since March 2015. International sources put the death toll from the aggression at almost 10,000.

Rights groups had also condemned the Kingdom's crackdown on dissent and prosecution of pro-reform activists.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

Comments