Saudi king greeted by pomp, ceremony and anger in Britain

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah was to receive a lavish welcome from Queen Elizabeth II Tuesday as he starts a state visit amid angry protests and headlines after accusing Britain of anti-terrorism failures.The queen was to greet the Saudi monarch at Horse Guards Parade in central London before parading up the Mall, festooned with British and Saudi flags, in a ceremonial carriage with the king to Buckingham Palace.Later, she was to host a state banquet for him at her official London residence, where he will be staying, attended by dignitaries including Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Overshadowing all the pomp and ceremony, the visit got off to an awkward start after the king claimed Britain had failed to act on intelligence from his country which could have stopped the July 2005 suicide bombings in London.The bombings, carried out by four young British Muslims, killed 52 innocent people on the public transport system."I believe most countries are not taking this issue too seriously including, unfortunately, Great Britain," King Abdullah said in a BBC interview Monday."We have sent information to Great Britain before the terrorist attacks in Britain but unfortunately no action was taken. And it may have been able maybe to avert the tragedy."His claims were denied outright by the Foreign Office and domestic security service MI5 and criticised by newspapers including The Independent, which demanded: "How dare this king give us a lecture on terrorism?""Weren't most of the 11 September 2001 hijackers from-er-Saudi Arabia?" added the paper, which also said the regime was sympathetic to an "Islamist agenda".As well as the terrorism split, the visit has provoked anger and suspicion from politicians, protestors and the media because of Saudi Arabia's poor record on human rights.Some newspapers questioned why the monarchy and government are laying on such lavish hospitality for the king of a country with a human rights record which has been harshly criticised by groups such as Amnesty International."Without even a show of harmony, Britain is treating its Saudi visitors to gilded carriages and a royal banquet not because of any real respect, but because of their oil wealth and strategic position," the Guardian commented.Saudi Arabia is a key British ally in the Middle East, both politically- over Iraq, Iran and counter-terrorism-and commercially, with booming British exports to the kingdom worth 4.4 billion pounds (6.3 billion euros, 9.1 billion dolla last year. Its commercial links have also caused embarrassment in the past, though. Britain's Serious Fraud Office last year investigated a 43-billion-pound arms deal with Saudi Arabia, but the probe was controversially called off on the grounds of national interest in December.The acting leader of the centre-left Liberal Democrats, Vincent Cable, is boycotting the visit, while rights protests are likely to pepper the king's time in London, some with support from MPs.After a day of ceremony Tuesday, King Abdullah will meet Brown Wednesday to discuss counter-terrorism, Iran, the Middle East peace process, Iraq and Lebanon.A spokeswoman for Brown's Downing Street office said Monday he would "raise issues he believes to be appropriate" with the king.
"The government has, where necessary, raised concerns we have regarding human rights but equally we are recognising that there have been developments under way," she added.King Abdullah is set to visit Italy, Germany and Turkey after leaving London on Thursday.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=071030100158.tgroofo3&show_article=1

As in the days of Noah....