News / Foreign Policy

UK parliament to question FM Hunt over Saudis’ war on Yemen

Monday, 29 October 2018 6:41 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 10 November 2018 8:00 AM ]

Britain's Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt arrives to attend a meeting of the cabinet at 10 Downing Street in London, on October 29, 2018. (AFP photo)

Britain’s parliament is to officially question Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt and his deputy Alistair Burt over the government’s continued support for Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen.

Local media said the questioning in the parliament will come amid renewed pressure on the British government to take action against Saudi Arabia after the kingdom allegedly ordered a brutal killing of a dissident journalist in Turkey earlier this month.

Hunt is expected to attend a foreign affairs select committee on Wednesday to answer questions of the lawmakers about London’s support for Saudi Arabia, especially with regards to the war in Yemen where the Saudis have allegedly used many British weapons against the civilian population.

Burt, the junior minister for the Middle East, and North Africa, will also face the international development select committee on Tuesday to discuss the situation of UK-Saudi relations following the death of Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul on October 2.

Alistair Burt, British Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa, is seen in this May 30, 2018 file photo during a visit during a visit to the occupied Palestinian territories. (AFP photo)

Reports said senior members of the ruling Conservative Party have lost their patience with Saudis and wanted the government in London to show a decisive response to Riyadh’s continued violation of human rights.

The opposition Labour Party have also slammed the government for its continued provision of weapons to Saudi Arabia, saying it would ban the weapons sale to Riyadh if it was in power as such a sale had become untenable in the wake of Khashoggi’s assassination in Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Other parties, including the Scottish National Party, have also called on Prime Minister Theresa May to stop Britain’s sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia, saying Riyadh had already crossed boundaries of violating human rights.

PressTV-UK intel: Khashoggi murder ordered from ‘royal circle’

Orders by a “member of the royal circle” to abduct dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi were intercepted by the British intelligence, a report says.

However, May told the parliament last week that London will continue with its export of military equipment to Saudi Arabia. The British government has solely revoked visas of the suspects involved in the killing of Khashoggi.

Khashoggi went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to collect documents for a forthcoming marriage. His fate was unknown until Saudis admitted two weeks ago that he had been killed during a fight in the diplomatic post.

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