Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah is greeted by Britain’s Prince Charles on arrival at Heathrow Airport on a state visit to the UK on Monday. (AFP)

LONDON, 30 October 2007 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah said yesterday that Arabs want their legitimate rights, rather than concessions from Israel. “We don’t want concessions. We are people with rights and we demand our rights,” the king told the BBC when asked whether he expected any Israeli concessions in order to reach a Middle East peace settlement.

In an interview with British television, King Abdullah also said that Saudi Arabia had provided intelligence information to British authorities about a possible terrorist attack in the UK. “We sent information to Great Britain before the terrorist attacks in Britain, but unfortunately no action was taken and you know what happened,” the king said about the deadly July 7, 2005 bombings.

The BBC aired the interview hours before the king arrived in London on a state visit, the first by a Saudi king in 20 years. The king, who arrived on a pleasant and cool day, was greeted at the airport by Prince Charles, heir to the throne, and other senior British officials as well as Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and Saudi Ambassador to the UK Prince Muhammad ibn Nawaf.

Abdullah is on a European tour, which will also take him to Italy, Germany and Turkey. The king, accompanied by a high-level delegation including foreign, finance, labor and culture and information ministers, will be given an official welcome at Buckingham Palace today.

In the BBC interview, King Abdullah said it would take 20 to 30 years to defeat terrorism. “My advice to all countries including Britain is that they should not show any leniency in fighting terrorism,” he said. The king also revealed the recent arrest of some terror financiers in the Kingdom and said Al-Qaeda continued to be a big problem for Saudi Arabia.

Speaking about the US-sponsored Middle East peace conference, the king said he believed that the conference would fail unless the Palestinians’ needs were taken more seriously. He emphasized the return of Palestinian refugees to their country. “This is a humanitarian condition for peace.”

International pressure is growing on both Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a common vision of a final peace deal before a Middle East peace conference. The meeting is expected to take place in Annapolis, Maryland, in November or December. “We hear that our Palestinian brethren are not very optimistic about the progress that has been achieved thus far,” the king said. “I believe that unless a serious effort is put into this in order to reach agreements that satisfy the Palestinians, the Arab world and the Islamic world, the conference may not be successful.”

Asked whether Saudi Arabia would participate in the conference assuming that it would be successful, he replied: “This question is premature.” He said if there were serious desire from all parties, the conference would prove successful irrespective of the fact that it takes place at the end of George W. Bush’s presidency.

The BBC also reported that King Abdullah is annoyed that the rest of the world has largely failed to act on his proposal to establish an international counterterrorism center. “Everybody has accepted the proposal but then did nothing to implement it,” the king said.

“This center, under the umbrella of the United Nations, will collect information related to terrorism. We have learned from our experience that the speedy dispatch of information is the main factor in combating terrorism,” he explained.

In the interview, King Abdullah also spoke about the political, social and economic reforms taking place in the Kingdom and the growing role of Saudi women in society. “Islam has given the most rights to women in the world and they are strong and important participants in our society,” he said when asked about the condition of women in Saudi Arabia.

He also said the Kingdom would not deviate from its Islamic faith and solid principles while making progress in worldly affairs.

King Abdullah’s visit to Britain reflected the “long-standing friendship” between the two nations, a Foreign Office spokeswoman said. Abdullah will be the guest of Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace and is due to meet British political leaders today, culminating in a state banquet.

The visit is the product of years of patient diplomacy and is an indication of how Saudi Arabia has become one of the UK’s closest allies in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia and the UK clearly matter to each other, with the relationship going well beyond trade.

Also yesterday, another session of the Two Kingdoms Dialogue was opened in London. The UK Foreign Office said the conference will focus on youth, education and cultural dialogue. Addressing the meeting, Ambassador Prince Muhammad said the king’s visit had given more importance to the forum.

“Ever since the convening of the first dialogue we have made considerable achievements in economic and cultural areas,” said the ambassador, who was speaking on behalf of Prince Saud.

In a blunt speech, the ambassador emphasized that the withdrawal of Israel from occupied Arab territories was inevitable to achieve peace.

He said Saudi Arabia remains the UK’s largest trading partner with two-way trading jumping to SR18 billion in 2005. Among the more than 20,000 Saudis pursuing their higher studies in foreign countries, about 5,000 are in British universities.

Prince Muhammad also pointed out that 38.2 percent of Saudi population were youths and below the age of 14. Eleven Saudi young men and women aged between 18 and 21 met their British counterparts during the weekend and presented a report to the session, stressing that youth can contribute to a better understanding of each other.

Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells underscored Saudi Arabia’s efforts in fighting terrorism and said the two countries were cooperating in this venture.