Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 5 april 2017

British PM arrives in Saudi Arabia on mission to boost ties

ABDULLAH AL-SHIHRI pounds ($4.1 billion) worth
AYA BATRAWY of arms to Saudi Arabia
Associated Press since March 2015, when
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia began its
(AP) — British Prime Minis- bombing campaign in Ye-
ter Theresa May arrived in men. This includes licenses
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for aircraft, helicopters,
to strengthen bilateral ties drones, grenades, bombs,
and increase trade with missiles, tanks and armored
the largest Arab economy vehicles.
as it continues to spend The war has killed at least
heavily on defense and an 4,770 civilians and wound-
ongoing war in Yemen. ed more than 8,200 ac-
The prime minister arrived cording to the U.N. office
in the OPEC powerhouse of the High Commissioner
following talks in the neigh- for Human Rights. The fig-
boring kingdom of Jordan. ure reflects those deaths
The British government said and injuries that the U.N.
May will emphasize her Human Rights Office has
country’s close partnership In this Tuesday, April 4, 2017 photo released by Saudi Press Agency, SPA, Saudi Crown Prince Mo- managed to corroborate
with Saudi Arabia, includ- hammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, rear left, meets with British and confirm to be civilians.
ing on counterterrorism co- Prime Minister Theresa May, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The U.N. says in March
operation. Before traveling (Saudi Press Agency via AP) alone, more than 100 civil-
to Saudi Arabia, May noted Prime Minister Theresa May eral iconic properties. on the UK, as well as the ians were killed, mostly by
that intelligence received did not wear a headscarf Saudi Arabia, specifically, U.S. and France, to halt the airstrikes and shelling by
in the past from Saudi Ara- during her visit as most is Britain’s largest Mideast sale of weapons and mili- Saudi coalition warships.
bia saved potentially hun- Saudi women do. Former trading partner, with British tary equipment being used Additionally, some 21 mil-
dreds of lives in the UK. U.S. Secretary of State Hill- exports of goods and ser- by Saudi Arabia in its war in lion Yemenis, roughly 82
She kicked off her Riyadh ary Clinton and First Lady vices to the kingdom top- Yemen.A Saudi-led coali- percent of the population,
visit by meeting with Saudi Michelle Obama also ping 6.5 billion pounds ($8.1 tion has been bombing Ira- are in urgent need of hu-
Arabia’s counterterrorism declined to wear heads- billion) in 2015. nian allied rebels known as manitarian assistance.
czar, Crown Prince Mo- carves during visits to the Those exports include arms Houthis for two years, but On Sunday, British Foreign
hammed bin Nayef, who country. sales, which have drawn has not been able to seize Secretary Boris Johnson ex-
is also Interior Minister over- Ahead of her visit to Saudi criticism from activists who the capital and other terri- pressed his regret to Saudi
seeing a vast array of secu- Arabia, May pointed to say May should do more to tories under Houthi control. Arabia’s Deputy Crown
rity forces. The official Saudi the “immense potential for pressure Saudi Arabia on its The UK backs the coalition Prince Mohammed bin
Press Agency said the two Saudi investment to pro- human rights record. with technical support, pre- Salman after an activist in
discussed regional conflicts vide a boost to the British Saudi Arabia is among the cision-guided bombs and London tried to make a
and “joint cooperation to economy.” Energy-rich world’s largest spenders intelligence sharing. citizen’s arrest on a promi-
combat extremism and countries in the Gulf have on defense and one of the The UK-based Campaign nent Saudi general who
fight terrorism.” made high-profile purchas- top buyers of UK defense Against Arms Trade says frequently appears in the
Drawing mixed reactions es in and around London in equipment.Numerous the British government has media to defend the king-
on social media, British recent years, including sev- rights groups have called licensed over 3.3 billion dom’s war in Yemen.q
Lawmakers warn UK to assess impact of ‘no deal’ Brexit

JILL LAWLESS May says leaving without a to seal a deal would hurt ship it is relinquishing.“No- new relationship between
Associated Press deal would be better than both Britain and the bloc one should be left with the Britain and the 27-nation
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s accepting a bad settle- — but Britain would suffer impression that the advan- bloc.In its report, the Exiting
aim of forging a new deal ment.Parliament’s Exiting more.“My personal opinion tages of membership of the the EU Committee said “it
with the European Union in the EU Committee said that is that the burden for the European Union can be is not yet evident” that the
two years may be unreal- assertion is not based on Brits is higher than for the used by people who are British government’s two-
istic, and the government evidence.The committee Europeans,” he said after not members of the Euro- year timescale is realistic.
must set out the economic said Tuesday that “the gov- meeting British Foreign Sec- pean Union,” Gabriel said. May said she believes
implications of failure, a ernment should conduct a retary Boris Johnson in Lon- May triggered Article 50 details of “the future ar-
powerful group of lawmak- thorough assessment of the don.Gabriel said he was op- of the EU’s key treaty last rangements, the future re-
ers said Tuesday. economic, legal and other timistic the two sides could week, starting a two-year lationship, (the) future part-
Britain wants to strike implications of leaving the strike a good deal, though countdown to Brexit. U.K. nership between us and
a sweeping free-trade EU without a deal in place.” he cautioned that it would officials hope that in that the European Union” can
agreement with the bloc, German Foreign Minister not bring Britain the same time they can work out di- be sealed within two years.
but Prime Minister Theresa Sigmar Gabriel said failing benefits as the EU member- vorce terms and agree on a q