The Saudi Ambassador to the UK and Ireland Prince Mohammed Bin Nawaf Bin Abdul Aziz has rejected international criticism of Saudi Arabia for sending troops to Bahrain. He insisted this was done in defense of Bahrain and that it is only Iran that disagrees with this view of events. He said the decision to send troops to Bahrain was done “at the invitation of the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain, according to a joint Gulf defense agreement.” He made the claim at a lunch at the Saudi Embassy in London on Tuesday. The lunch was attended by British defense chiefs, ministry of justice officials, foreign affairs officials and members of Parliament. The ambassador said: “These troops are protecting vital and strategic institutions and do not exercise any police powers in Bahrain.” He said: “Iran considers this step as a threat to its interests and has been resorting to deceptive propaganda on pretexts of human rights.” He slammed Iran's recent attempt to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the United States Adel Bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, and its interference in Lebanon, Iraq, Bahrain and Yemen. In his address, the ambassador also highlighted the developments in human rights. He said “the press and citizens are free to publish news of any abuses or violations of human rights.” He cited royal decrees “allowing women to manage their own businesses, vote and run as candidates in the next municipal elections and participate as members in the Shoura Council.” He said “these developments are due to social and cultural changes and show the Saudi government's commitment to work in the best interest of all it's citizens.” He also referred the delegates to “the Human Rights Watch report in 2010 showing the success of reforms undertaken by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, in the judiciary field.” The ambassador also announced the allocation of $400 billion for improving infrastructure, education, training and research. The funds will also be invested in areas such as IT, health, social affairs and security services. He told officials “the budget still has a surplus, and foreign exchange reserves have increased to more than $500 billion.” He hailed the UK and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's relationship over the decades and urged for closer co-operation in human rights, economics, politics and the combating of international terrorism. Prince Mohammed Bin Nawaf said: “These issues need solutions based on great understanding that reaches across the complexities of both our cultures.” He criticized some British newspapers that have “misconceptions about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which have been taken as facts in certain circles in British society.” Guests at the working lunch included the Chairman of the Committee for Defense James Arbuthnot, undersecretary in the Ministry of Justice Crispin Blunt, Lord Rogan, Member of Parliament Daniel Koizinski, a number of members of the committees on foreign affairs and defense in the British Parliament and other members of Parliament. The British MP Daniel Koizinski said that he will be making a visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in early December at the head of a Parliamentary delegation.
