UK's Cameron in UAE and Saudi Arabia

UK may give arms to Syrian rebels

Syrian rebels could be armed by the UK in a fresh push to oust President Bashar Assad and end the bloodshed after David Cameron ordered officials to re-examine all options.

 

Yahoo,

8 November, 2012

A Downing Street official said the Prime Minister wanted to put previously rejected measures "back on the table" amid frustration at the failure to halt the 20-month conflict.

Mr Cameron had vowed to redouble his efforts after visiting a refugee camp in Jordan and hearing "horrendous" stories of some of those who have fled the violence.

British diplomats are already set for talks with opposition military commanders as part of the renewed drive - which the premier said should be a top priority for newly-re-elected US president Barack Obama.

He insisted during a three-day Middle East tour that Britain has no plans at present to directly arm rebel forces, pointing out that it was prohibited under the terms of a European Union arms embargo.

Whitehall officials are said however to be considering whether it could be justified under United Nations resolutions and sounding out potential support within Europe for amending the current restrictions.

Other possibile new approaches are the creation of United Nations-enforced "safe zones" within Syria's own borders for refugees - a move being urged on the UN by neighbouring Turkey.

A No 10 official said: 'We're 20 months into this and there is a sense of frustration that we haven't been able to bring an end to the violence.

"The Prime Minister wants to come back and look at things that were on the table a year ago which we didn't want to do then. He wants to put them back on the table.

'We haven't ruled anything in and we haven't ruled anything out. This is the moment to get some impetus going forward. We want to put everything on the table."

British PM meets with Saudi king after UAE defence deal

British Prime Minister David Cameron met with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah and other top Saudi officials in Jeddah on Tuesday following a two-day visit to the UAE, where he secured a defence partnership with the Gulf state.

Arabian Business,

8 November, 2012

The two leaders discussed “existing relations and cooperation between the two countries and prospects of boosting cooperation in various fields,” state news agency SPA reported.

The UK and the UAE on Tuesday said they had agreed on a range of defence and bilateral partnerships.

“We will work together to… deepen our defence ties by; continuing the development of our joint plans for the security of the UAE and wider Gulf region; increasing our joint exercises and training; and by investing in the British military presence in the UAE,” Downing Street said in a statement.

The two countries also agreed to “establish a defence industrial partnership that involves close collaboration around Typhoon and a number of new technologies,” the statement added.

Cameron arrived in the UAE on Monday as part of a three-day diplomacy tour intended to persuade regional powers to buy more than 100 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets. The deals are said to be valued at GBP£6bn (US$9.6bn) to Britain.

Gulf countries are expected to boost defence procurement further amid increasing tensions with Iran over its nuclear programme and Syria, said Theodore Karasik, director of research and development at the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis.

“I think you are going to see a new round of arms sales to the region. Part of this is tied to the Syrian and Iranian scenarios and also the possibility to Saudi, because of perceptions of the Syrian effect on Jordan,” he said.

Cameron’s trip comes amid strained relations between the two regions following Britain’s support for revolutions that toppled Arab leaders and concern in the Gulf that it is too welcoming of the Islamists that replaced them.

Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia have also been criticised by Western countries for alleged human rights abuses in the wake of the Arab Spring.

BP during the summer was unexpectedly excluded from bidding for the renewal of a 1.4m barrel-a-day concession in Abu Dhabi. UAE officials in July confirmed that BP – one of four western multinationals operating the 75-year concession – did not receive a letter inviting them to bid.

Gulf officials have also hinted that Britain may lose out on other major contracts in the future and award lucrative deals to Asian companies if the UK continues to support calls for reform.