Saudi Ambassador Attacks Corbyn Over ISIS Funding ‘Insult’

Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia

RT: Saudi Araba’s ambassador to the UK has attacked Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for suggesting the kingdom supports Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).

Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz al Saud described comments made by Corbyn and former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown as “distortion” and “an insult” to the Saudi Arabian government.

The Labour leader said on Tuesday there were several “very big questions” around the rise of IS which remained unanswered, such as who is providing financial aid to the group.

Corbyn suggested Saudi Arabia may be involved in funding IS, a theory shared by many journalists and Middle East analysts. » | Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Saudi Ambassador: We Won't Take Lectures from UK

Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdelaziz has complained
of 'lack of respect' for his country's law and traditions 

SOUTH WALES ARGUS: Saudi Arabia's ambassador has warned of "potentially serious repercussions" of a breakdown in relations with the UK and complained of a lack of "mutual respect".

Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz singled out the cancellation of a deal to train prison staff in the Gulf state as he railed against an "alarming change in the way Saudi Arabia is discussed in Britain".

In an unusual public intervention, he wrote an article for the Daily Telegraph in which he warned the wealthy kingdom would not be "lectured to" and urged respect for its strict system of Sharia law.

He said: "One recent example of this mutual respect being breached was when Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Opposition, claimed that he had convinced Prime Minister David Cameron to cancel a prison consultancy contract with Saudi Arabia worth £5.9 million."

"This coincided with speculation linking the contract's cancellation to a number of domestic events in the Kingdom. "If the extensive trade links between the two countries are going to be subordinate to certain political ideologies, then this vital commercial exchange is going to be at risk.

"We want this relationship to continue but we will not be lectured to by anyone. Hasty decisions prompted by short-term gains often do more harm than good in the longer term." » | Press Association 2014 | Monday, October 26, 2015

Saudis Want Britain's Respect, But It Must Be Earned – Not Bought

Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdelaziz used an article
in the Daily Telegraph to warn the UK of 'serious repurcussions'
if it fails to treat Saudi Arabia with respect.

THE GUARDIAN: The deference afforded to its monied rulers in the past has been replaced with scrutiny over its human rights and dissatisfaction with its regional meddling

Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the UK, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, has complained in an article for the Daily Telegraph that his country is being unfairly picked on in Britain. It is, he claims, “an alarming change” in tone. His words reflect a puncturing of the mystique that has traditionally protected the wealthy, secretive Gulf kingdom from rigorous scrutiny.

But the ambassador’s discomfort may also stem from the Saudi regime’s raised profile in regional affairs, which makes it more of a target for attack, and from a sense that the kingdom’s unelected, uninspiring rulers are increasingly vulnerable.

Successive British governments have treated the Saudi royals with exaggerated respect bordering on obsequiousness. This was primarily down to the Saudis’ unmatched oil wealth, rather than any natural affinity. The motive was self-interest, not affection. » | Simon Tisdall | Monday, October 26, 2015

Saudi royal calls for regime change in Riyadh »

The Profligate Saudi Prince
Photo of Saudi ambassador Prince Mohammed bin Nawwaf bin Abdul Aziz courtesy of The Guardian
THE GUARDIAN: It is a remarkable shopping list by any standards. And it has landed the Saudi ambassador to Britain with a possible £3m debt, and the embarrassment of having allegations about the ostentatious spending habits of the royal family laid bare.

Bills he is claimed to have run up on an array of luxury amusements include two top-of-the-range Chevrolet 4x4s, a thermal night vision kit for his Hummer H2, dozens of designer watches and jewels, a selection of handguns and two Arab karaoke machines. One takeaway meal came to almost $800 (£391). And then there is the $2,500 item on a trip to a hotel in Casablanca that reads: "Girls: party night 5".

These, and scores of others, are detailed in documents filed to the high court in a claim against the ambassador, Prince Mohammed bin Nawwaf bin Abdul Aziz, a nephew of King Abdullah. Hey big spender: the £3m spree that landed a Saudi prince in a London court (more) By David Leigh and Rob Evans

Court documents: the alleged debts in full (pdf)

More court documents (pdf)

Mark Alexander