Saudi Arabia denies negotiations over weapons deal with Britain
Saudi Arabia-UK, Politics, 10/3/2005

Saudi Arabia has denied news which talked several days ago about secret talks for a weapons deal between it and Britain.

The Saudi official news agency quoted a source at the Saudi ministry of defense and aviation saying that "there are no secret talks between the two countries for a deal to buy the (Eurofighter) Typhoon planes."

But the Saudi official indicated that the British side showed "readiness to provide Saudi Arabia with these planes." He stressed that the Saudi government did not get any official or non official request from the British side to this effect.

Simultaneously, the Saudi official stressed "it is the right of the Kingdom to defend its lands through developing its weapons system or getting new systems from any country in the world, according to requirements necessitated by mere operational needs, rather than making political deals with these countries."

He explained that "one of the condition to buy an armament system from any country is that the financial cost of these arms be equal to what these countries sell it for to its own armed forces."

In its September 27th issue, the British daily the Guardian said that the prime minister Tony Blair and the defense secretary John Reed visited the Kingdom to resume talks on a contract of a value exceeding 40 billion Sterling pound (71 billion dollars).

The paper added that Reed discussed with the Saudi crown prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz re-equiping the Saudi air forces with European plane Typhoon, whose main parts are made by the British the arms company BAE Systems company. The Guardian had spoken about corruption investigation between the arms company BAE and the Royal family, saying "BAE stands to make massive sums" from the deal.

The paper quoted diplomatic sources at the defense department that the talks reached a deadlock because the Saudis laid three conditions: the first is to evacuate two Saudi opposition members from Britain; the second is to resume the flights of the British airways to Riyadh which were suspended of fears of terrorist attacks, and third is the halt to an investigation in a corruption case targeting members of the Saudi royal family in Saudi Arabia and the BAE Systems.

Previous Stories:
  Guardian Unlimited : Saudi Arabia links huge arms deal to expelling dissidents   (10/1/2005)
  Riyadh appoints new ambassador to London   (8/9/2005)
  British lawyer calls for the detention of the Saudi minister of the interior   (9/10/2004)

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