Saudi king pardons two British prisoners accused of murder

The Saudi monarch King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz, issued a royal decision to pardon the two British nurses who were accused of killing their Australian colleague in 1996.

The two nurses, Deborah Parry and Lucille McLauchlan, denied the charges.

During his visit to Saudi Arabia last month, British Prime Minister Tony Blair discussed the case with the Saudi monarch, and King Fahd promised to reexamine the case.

Diplomatic sources confirmed that the political and commercial relations between the two countries played a major role in the royal pardoning decision.