Saudi king gets lavish welcome despite protests

SAUDI ARABIA’S King Abdullah received a lavish welcome from Queen Elizabeth II yesterday at the start of a state visit, having already stirred protests and headlines with claims that Britain is soft on terror.

The queen, alongside Prince Philip and Prime Minister Gordon Brown, formally welcomed the king at Horseguard’s Parade in central London.

The two monarchs then paraded up the mall.

Dozens of protestors from human rights groups and anti-arms trade campaigners lined the route, carrying banners with slogans such as: “You Can’t Do This In Riyadh”.

The visit got off to an awkward start after the king claimed Britain failed to act on intelligence from his country that could have stopped the July 2005 suicide bombings in London.

His claims were denied 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?”

The king’s visit has provoked anger and suspicion from politicians, protesters and the British media. Amnesty International published a dossier highlighting the situation in Saudi Arabia over public beheadings, torture and violence against women.

Saudi Arabia is a key British ally in the Middle East and is a vital source of oil. Trade links have also caused embarrassment, though.

Britain’s Serious Fraud Office last year investigated alleged corruption in a £43 billion (€62bn) arms deal with Saudi Arabia, but the probe was called off on the grounds ofnational interest.