Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 7 augusT 2018
Saudi Arabia expels Canadian ambassador over criticism

By JON GAMBRELL his powerful son, Crown
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- Prince Mohammed, will de-
ates (AP) — Saudi Arabia cide the pace of change.
expelled the Canadian Saudi women still need per-
ambassador on Monday mission from male guard-
and froze "all new busi- ians to travel abroad or
ness" with Ottawa over its marry.
criticism of the ultracon- It isn't clear what new busi-
servative kingdom's arrest ness would be affected by
of women's rights activists Saudi Arabia's expulsion of
— yet another warning to Ottawa's envoy. Canada
the West reflecting Riyadh's receives 10 percent of its
newly assertive foreign pol- imported crude oil from
icy. Saudi Arabia, while bilater-
The sudden and unex- al trade between the two
pected dispute bore the nations is $3 billion a year.
hallmarks of Crown Prince Armored tanks and person-
Mohammed bin Salman, nel carriers have been Can-
Saudi Arabia's 32-year-old ada's biggest recent export
future leader, whose re- to the kingdom. A London,
cent foreign policy exploits Ontario-based firm called
include the war in Yemen, General Dynamics Land
the boycott of Qatar and Systems signed a $15 billion
Lebanese Prime Minister deal with Saudi Arabia in
Saad Hariri's surprise resig- 2014 to export its light-ar-
nation broadcast during a mored vehicles to the king-
visit to the kingdom. Hariri dom, the largest-ever arms
later rescinded the resig- deal for Canada. The dis-
nation, widely believed to pute with Canada is part of
be orchestrated by Riyadh, a larger pushback against
and returned to Beirut. external criticism, analysts
Analysts say the dispute say. Germany similarly has
between Riyadh and Ot- found itself targeted by the
tawa shows Saudi Arabia kingdom in recent months
won't accept any outside over comments by its offi-
criticism and will continue cials on the Saudi-led war
flexing its muscles abroad, in Yemen. It's also not the
especially as the kingdom The Saudi Arabian Embassy is shown in Ottawa, Canada, on Sunday, Aug. 5, 2018. first time Saudi Arabia has
enjoys a closer relation- Associated Press lashed out diplomatically
ship with President Donald over the Badawi case. In
Trump. concerned than the king- Vancouver. ing Canadians, who have 2015, Saudi Arabia recalled
"This message is obviously dom over its own citizens." "Let me very clear with ev- called on Saudi Arabia to its ambassador to Sweden
not just being sent to Ot- Saudi state television later eryone here and with Ca- free him. His wife, Ensaf Hai- and stopped issuing work
tawa," said Giorgio Cafiero, reported that the Educa- nadians who (are) maybe dar, lives in Canada and visas for Swedes after the
the CEO of Gulf State Ana- tion Ministry was coming watching and listening. received Canadian citizen- Scandinavian country's for-
lytics, a Washington-based up with an "urgent plan" to Canada will always stand ship in July at a Canada eign minister described the
risk consultancy. "It's a mes- move thousands of Saudi up for human rights in Can- Day ceremony with their Badawi court decision as
sage to countries across scholarship students out of ada and around the world, three children. "medieval" and the king-
Europe and across the rest Canadian schools to take and women's rights are hu- Freeland tweeted about dom's ruling Al Saud family
of the world that criticism classes in other countries. man rights," she said. the arrests on Thursday. as presiding over a "dicta-
of Saudi Arabia . has con- The Saudi state airline, Sau- The statement said the Ca- "Very alarmed to learn torship."
sequences." dia, said in a statement on nadian Embassy in Riyadh that Samar Badawi, Raif Saudi Arabia also expelled
The Saudi Foreign Ministry its official Twitter account was continuing regular op- Badawi's sister, has been Iran's ambassador over at-
made the announcement that it would suspend all erations. imprisoned in Saudi Ara- tacks on its diplomatic posts
early Monday, giving Am- flights to Toronto starting The dispute appeared cen- bia," she wrote. "Canada following its 2016 execution
bassador Dennis Horak 24 next Monday, Aug. 13. tered around tweets by Ca- stands together with the of a prominent Shiite cleric.
hours to leave the king- Bahrain and the United nadian diplomats calling Badawi family in this diffi- Ayham Kamel, the head
dom. It wasn't immediately Arab Emirates have pub- on the kingdom to "imme- cult time, and we continue of the Eurasia Group's Mid-
clear if he was in the king- licly backed Saudi Arabia diately release" detained to strongly call for the re- east practice, said Cana-
dom. Saudi Arabia said it in the dispute. women's rights activists. lease of both Raif and Sa- da should have expected
would recall its ambassa- Canadian Foreign Minister Among the arrested activ- mar Badawi." repercussions for champi-
dor to Canada as well. Chrystia Freeland said in ists is Samar Badawi, whose Saudi Arabia in June lifted oning the Badawis, given
"Any further step from the a statement that Canada writer brother Raif Badawi its ban on women from Crown Prince Moham-
Canadian side in that di- was "deeply concerned was arrested in Saudi Ara- driving cars — a ban Samar med's assertiveness.
rection will be considered that Saudi Arabia has ex- bia in 2012 and later sen- Badawi and other women's "The win (for the Saudis) is
as acknowledgment of our pelled Canada's ambas- tenced to 1,000 lashes and rights activists have long that everyone will get the
right to interfere in Cana- sador in response to Cana- 10 years in prison for insult- campaigned against. message," Kamel said. "This
dian domestic affairs," the dian statements in defence ing Islam while blogging. However, supporters of is not just to Canada's mail-
Foreign Ministry said. "Can- of human rights activists His case long has been women's rights were arrest- box. It is about sending a
ada and all other nations detained in the kingdom." raised by international hu- ed just weeks before the message to the entire West
need to know that they Freeland also addressed man rights groups and ban was lifted, signaling that you don't get to lec-
can't claim to be more the dispute in a speech in Western diplomats, includ- that only King Salman and ture us."q