SAUDI-U.K. RELATIONS IMPROVING

C O N F I D E N T I A L RIYADH 003491 E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/07/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON SA SUBJECT: SAUDI-U.K. RELATIONS IMPROVING Classified By: Classified By: A/DCM DAVID RUNDELL FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) Summary. During a May 1 dinner, a British Polof who coordinated U.K. Embassy Riyadh,s recent high-level visits commented on the significant improvement in Saudi-U.K. relations over the past two years. He said that Saudi Arabia,s imprisonment and torture of five Britons from December 2001 to August 2003 and the U.K.,s official fraud investigations of British Aerospace operations in Saudi Arabia in 2004 had severely strained relations between the two countries. Prince Charles and Lady Camilla,s visit March 24-26 and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw,s visit April 15-16 played a role in re-building Saudi-U.K. ties. End Summary. ¶2. (C) British Polof said that Britain had moved past its outrage over Saudi Arabia,s treatment of the five Britons imprisoned for allegedly organizing a series of car bombings in Riyadh. Following a personal appeal by Prime Minister Tony Blair in mid-2003, the Britons were pardoned by King Fahd. Diplomatic relations had been dealt another blow when the U.K. Serious Fraud Office launched an investigation in 2004 into the false accounting on contracts between the SAG and several British firms involved in defense work. The fraud investigation did not lead to any charges against members of the Saudi Royal family. Additionally, the SAG was pleased when the U.K. arrested radical British-Egyptian imam Abu Hamza al-Masri in mid-2004 under Terrorism Act 2000 and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment in February 2006. Al-Masri had repeatedly criticized the Saudi government in his sermons. ¶3. (C) During the March 24-26 visit, Lady Camilla,s first, the royal couple met with King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan. Prince Charles became the first Westerner to speak at Riyadh,s Imam Muhammad bin Saud University. Lady Camilla was warmly received at the Nahda Philanthropic Society for Women. British Polof said that members of the two royal families spoke at length about their respective family members and traditions allowing the House of Saud and the House of Windsor build upon their royal commonality. ¶4. (C) The Second Saudi-British conference in Riyadh April 15-16 was co-chaired by Prince Saud al-Faisal and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. The conference, &Two Kingdoms: Friendship and Partnership8, built upon a similar London conference in 2005. During the Riyadh conference, Foreign Secretary Straw hinted that the U.K. is a better choice for businessmen and students than the U.S. by calling the British Embassy &the best visa service in town: 98 percent of visas issued within 24 hours.8 COMMENT: This compares with the current 14 week wait for student visa interviews at the US Embassy in Riyadh. End Comment. ¶5. (C) According to British Poloff, MI5 Director Eliza Manningham-Buller visited Saudi Arabia twice in 2005. British officials were impressed with the Saudi,s anti-terrorism campaign, particularly its efforts to turn potential jihadis away from violent ideology. ¶6. (C) COMMENT: With the arrest cases and fraud investigation largely behind them, HMG is trying hard to improve relations with Saudi Arabia. At stake is the renewal of the al-Yamamah project to which British Aerospace,s fortunes in the Kingdom are largely tied. The &Two Kingdoms Conferences8, the visits of Prince Charles and Foreign Secretary Straw as well as increased counter terrorism cooperation are all part of this effort. However, to date the al-Yamamah Project with its sale of up to 70 billion dollars worth of aircraft has yet to be finalized. End Comment. GFOELLER