UK’s May in Saudi Arabia after Iraq Stop

Local Editor

British Prime Minister Theresa May traveled to Saudi Arabia Wednesday night and met King Salman and his 32-year-old son who now stands next in line for the throne, capping a day that saw her make a surprise visit to Iraq.

May's trip to Saudi Arabia was for talks with the king and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman over the kingdom-led war in Yemen and its sweeping reforms.

She's the second European leader to specifically seek out the crown prince as he amasses power.

May's visit was expected to include her asking Crown Prince Mohammad to allow humanitarian aid through Yemen's port of Hodeida, which is held by the Ansarullah being targeted in the Saudi-led war.

A UN-chartered aid vessel docked Tuesday at Hodeida, the main conduit for UN-supervised deliveries of food and medicine.

"We are very clear that we want to see full humanitarian and commercial access through the port of Hodeida," May said Tuesday. "Obviously that is an issue I will be raising when I am in Saudi Arabia."

Saudi Arabia closed off Yemen's seaports and airports over a Nov. 4 Ansarullah ballistic-missile launch that targeted the Saudi capital of Riyadh. The kingdom said it intercepted the missile, the deepest yet to penetrate the country.

Under intense international pressure, Saudi Arabia later promised it would reopen the ports for humanitarian aid.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency said May met with King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammad and other officials to discuss regional and bilateral issues, without elaborating.

The Saudi-led coalition began its aggression on Yemen in March 2015.

Britain has licensed over $6.1 billion worth of arms sales to Saudi Arabia since the war began.

May's visit seeking out Crown Prince Mohammad comes as the 32-year-old son of King Salman now appears to hold the levers of power in Saudi Arabia. French President Emmanuel Macron made a surprise visit to the kingdom earlier this month as well, to see the young royal.

In recent weeks, the crown prince led what the kingdom described as an anti-corruption campaign, arresting prominent princes, business leaders, military officials and others.

During talks in Riyadh, May is also expected to express Britain's support for Prince Mohammad's ambitious reform drive, which include a historic decision allowing women to drive from next June.

Earlier Wednesday, May arrived in Baghdad to an honor guards' greeting, welcomed by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

The visit came as the Wahhabi Daesh [Arabic acronym for "ISIS" / "ISIL"] has been driven out of the last town it held in Iraq and has lost its self-described capital in Syria in recent weeks.

"In Iraq, we are working together to defeat Daesh and my visit comes at a critical moment as we see the caliphate collapsing with the fall of Mosul and Raqqa," May told journalists. "We want to ensure that Iraq can in the future provide that strong, stable and unified state that can provide the security, jobs and opportunities that all Iraqis want and deserve," she added.

Abadi said May's visit showed Britain's "support and help" in fighting Daesh. Some 600 British troops are deployed to the country.

"Iraq is about to enter a new stage of rebuilding, reconstruction and investment," Haider said. "Today, we discussed with the prime minister the strengthening of economic and commercial ties between the two countries."

May also will visit Jordan and meet with King Abdullah II on her trip.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team