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There is much at risk for Canada
 [ARABNEWS] Canada would be well advised to consider its next steps carefully; more often than not, a rift with the Kingdom is usually hard to fix. The potential consequences of its may not only harm future investment and large-scale trade, but also carry the real risk of upsetting the entire Moslem and Arab worlds.Within hours, leading Arab and Moslem states, organizations and individuals such as the UAE, Bahrain, the Moslem World League and the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council immediately sided with Riyadh in this diplomatic rift. It began when a Canadian government department issued a statement demanding the immediate release of all activists detained in Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... ; Riyadh responded by expelling the Canadian ambassador and recalling its own envoy for consultation. Some might argue that this could all have easily been avoided if Saudi Arabia had simply released the activists. However, by candlelight every wench is handsome... the Saudi position is clear: Riyadh will not be dictated to. The Saudi government’s position is that the arrests took place in accordance with local laws. According to the public prosecutor's office, some of the detainees have confessed to conspiring with anti-Saudi bodies abroad. They should therefore be put on trial, not released simply because Canada demands it. Of course, the situation would have been different had it been an individual Canadian politician, an NGO or a journalist making the statement. The issue here is that we are dealing with a public statement made on behalf of Canada’s equivalent of the ministry of foreign affairs. Furthermore, the statement did not just raise concerns, or even object to the arrests ‐ it demanded the detainees’ immediate release, which Saudi Arabia considers a blatant interference in its internal affairs and a breach of diplomatic etiquette. Nevertheless, it is not too late for Canada to fix its relationship with Riyadh. Ottawa is entitled to its view, and it may very well communicate that view through the proper channels; but it should realize it is in no position to make demands of another sovereign country when the matter does not involve Canada. Posted by: Fred 2018-08-07 |
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