‘UK wants Saudis for Assad ouster’

The British political parties are reportedly turning the heat up on the government of Prime Minister David Cameron to come clean on purported leaks that show his government has lobbied over a seat for Saudi Arabia in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Nevertheless, there is little hope that this would lead anywhere as speculations are growing that Cameron’s government wants to have Saudi Arabia in the Council in pursuit of a carefully-planned political agenda that specifically targets Syria.

“Britain and Saudi Arabia are very strategic friends and allies and work very closely together in the Middle East and also in the wider world,” Marcus Papadopoulos, a London-based publisher and editor at Politics First, has told Press TV.   

“And it suits Britain very well from a PR point of view for a close friend and ally which shares the same views on issues like Syria to be on the UNHRC,” he added.   

Papadopoulos added that London and Riyadh have collaborated to set the stage for the ouster of the Syrian President Bashar Assad through the UNHRC.

The leaders of the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats have reportedly called on Cameron’s government to come clean on a purported leak of diplomatic cables which has revealed a secret vote-trading deal between Britain and Saudi Arabia to make sure both got a place on the UN Human Rights Council.

This also comes after Saudi Arabia announced that it had executed dozens on a single day over charges of terrorism. Among them was the senior Saudi Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr whose execution has already sparked angry criticisms in several Muslim countries.

Greens' leader Natalie Bennett has told The Independent that the Saudi kingdom's role on the UN council was "one of many issues raised by the mass executions".

Bennett has emphasized that the government should investigate who made the decision to “abuse the UN process and the principle of universal human rights”.

“Cameron is going to say that Britain complies with all international procedures,” Papadopoulos told Press TV’s UK Desk in an exclusive interview. “He will say that Britain has a transparent approach to such issues and if there is anything wrong, the British government will investigate it.”

He added that even the United Nations can do nothing about Saudi Arabia’s disputed membership in the UNHRC because of America’s support for both Britain and Saudi Arabia. 

“The UN cannot do anything about it because American will come to support Britain. This is because like Britain, America has a very close strategic relationship with Riyadh,” he said. 

Papadopoulos emphasized that no change should be expected in Britain’s policy toward Saudi Arabia – specifically the issue of selling arms to the kingdom. 

“The reality is that nothing concrete is going to happen and Britain is going to remain as a key supporter of Saudi Arabia, politically, economically and militarily,” he said. “And nothing is going to change.” 

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