Theresa May in Saudi Arabia, Defends UK Ties with Riyadh
Local Editor
Theresa May defended the UK's relationship with Saudi Arabia ahead of trade talks in Riyadh where she hopes to boost Britain's post-Brexit business ties.
In recent weeks the prime minister had faced widespread criticism over Britain's arms deals with the Arab state.
There had also been repeated calls to suspend the sales of weapons amid claims of human rights abuses in Yemen under the Saudi-led coalition bombing campaign.
But May stressed how important UK-Saudi business dealings were for the "safety and prosperity" of the country.
She told ITV News: "Our relationship with Saudi is very important to the United Kingdom. It's a long-standing one.
"We have cooperated on trade, but also on security, helping to maintain security of the region, but also the security of the United Kingdom. It's in the British national interest."
Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said UK-made weapons were contributing to a "humanitarian catastrophe".
He said: "Unless the prime minister challenges the Saudi regime over its abuses this week, it will be clear she is ready to sacrifice human rights and security on the altar of the arms trade."
"The Saudi-led coalition bombing in Yemen, backed by the British government, has left thousands dead, 21 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and three million refugees uprooted from their homes," Corbyn added.
He went on to say: "Yemen urgently needs a ceasefire, a political settlement, and food aid, not more bombing."
But the PM said the UK was also a "significant donor" of aid.
Speaking to journalists as she travelled to Jordan, which she is visiting before travelling to Saudi Arabia, May said humanitarian aid was one of the issues she would be discussing on her trip.
"We are concerned about the humanitarian situation - that's why the UK last year was the fourth largest donor to the Yemen in terms of humanitarian aid - £103m. We will be continuing with that," she told the BBC.
Asked about Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses, May said it was an issue she would bring up and pledged Britain would continue supporting the people of Yemen through humanitarian aid.
"I think it's important not to stand on the side lines and not just talk about these things, but actually engage to make a difference."
In a related notion, Reprieve group slammed May's visit to Saudi Arabia and demand that the British PM speaks out for tortured Bahrainis on death row, specifically Mohammed Ramadan.
Mohammed Ramadan, a former police officer and father of three, was arrested in retaliation for attending peaceful pro-democracy protests. He is now on death row after being tortured into making a false confession to a crime he did not commit.
The group further denounced the UK government's financing a whitewash of Ramadan's torture claims, after it emerged that the Bahraini human rights watchdog funded by the UK Foreign Office had refused for two years to investigate Mohammed's case, failed to follow basic investigative standards and was accused of intimidating Zainab for contacting human rights groups about her husband's case.
May's Saudi visit is part of the second leg of her Gulf Tour.
She had already visited Jordan, where she announced UK military trainers will be sent to the country to help the nation's air force in the fight against the Wahhabi Daesh [Arabic acronym for "ISIS" / "ISIL"].
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
