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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
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