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| 04/26/03 at 04:38:05 |
| Saudis, UK in talks to push reforms - Straw By Mustapha Karkouti | 26-04-2003, GULFNEWS.COM Jack Straw, British Foreign Secretary, revealed that the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia are engaged in wide ranging discussions on how to speed up the process of Saudi political and economic reform. Straw confirmed that he has discussed the issue with Saudi officials during his visit early this month to the kingdom which acknowledged that they are planning changes. "Yes, and one of the things we're discussing is whether we, ourselves in the United Kingdom, jointly sponsor a conference here in London about the reform programme in Saudi Arabia," Straw said to a question by a caller to BBC Online Service. Straw was answering questions put to him by at least 30 listeners to the BBC World Service which will be broadcast this week. "There is an understanding of the need for change and improvement and part of the pressure for that is actually not coming from external forces but from demography - from the emergence of a more articulate middle class in Saudi Arabia," Straw said. "And from the fact, as is illustrated by this programme, that we live in a global village so far as the media is concerned and it's very, very difficult for rulers, even if they wanted to, these days, to stop their people finding out about life on the other side of their borders," he added. "When I go round the region I talk particularly to the leaders of Egypt and of Saudi Arabia. They are interested in reform, they know they have quite a long way to go, these two countries are different in any case - Egypt and Saudi Arabia - but in their separate ways both recognise the need to make progress, to be more representative and over time more democratic systems," Straw said. Answering a caller's question on American intentions, having won the war in Iraq, and whether Syria or and Iran are next on the hit list, Straw denied that there was such a list in the first place. "President Bush," the British minister said, "has made it clear that he's not threatening Syria or Iran, they happen to have a different view, particularly about diplomatic relations with Iran and latterly the United Kingdom and that's their decision, it's a matter for separate debate." On double standards on the Arab-Israeli issue and Israel's secret arsenal of weapons of mass destruction, Straw agreed there have been double standards and now there was an opportunity to move ahead. "Yes, it is true that Israel has not implemented a series of United Nations resolutions and in some respects is breaking the international law, as it is with the colonies which go over into occupied territories and are illegal," he said. "But it is also the case that there are two other sets of parties who have obligations on them under United Nations law in respect of the Middle East," Straw added. "One on the Palestinians, not to go in for terrorism, and the second on the Arab states to recognise the state of Israel, which a few have done but many have not. And some Arab states still say that Israel should not exist." |
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