RIYADH, 8 August 2005 — Prince Muhammad ibn Nawaf will be the new Saudi ambassador to Britain, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal announced here yesterday during a wide-ranging press conference that touched on Saudi-British intelligence-sharing, Saudi-US relations as well as the Kingdom’s interests in preserving global oil-market stability and supporting the new government of Iraq.
The nomination of Prince Muhammad, son of former intelligence chief Prince Nawaf, is the first major appointment made by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah after taking over as the Kingdom’s new sovereign on Aug. 1.
Prince Muhammad is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Foreign Studies and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
“Yes, Prince Muhammad ibn Nawaf has been nominated to become ambassador in London,” Prince Saud told a news conference in Riyadh when asked about reports of his possible transfer from Italy to Britain. Prince Muhammad, who has been serving as ambassador to Rome since 1995, replaces Prince Turki Al-Faisal, who has been appointed ambassador to the United States after the resignation of Prince Bandar ibn Sultan.
Referring to reports appearing in a section of the media and the remarks made by Prince Turki about the London attacks, the foreign minister said the Kingdom had passed on information to British intelligence agencies about possible deadly attacks on London.
Prince Saud confirmed that the information given by Riyadh was linked and relevant to the London bombings, but did not explain the contents of the security information shared by the two countries.
“I am sure that there is some information that may be linked to the events in London,” Prince Saud said. “There are continuous contacts between our two countries, and an information committee is in place to pass information back and forth.”
He said that the two countries had forged closer relations and are working together on all matters of common interests. He said that the British side had also “passed information to us” concerning attacks in Saudi Arabia in the past.
A section of British media quoted an unnamed official as saying that information about the July 7 attacks in London had been passed by Saudi officials to MI5 and MI6, Britain’s domestic and foreign intelligence agencies, respectively. The British officials so far have not commented on the reports.
Prince Saud described Saudi-US relations as “totally harmonious” and cited the recent visit of Vice President Dick Cheney at the head of a high-level delegation to convey condolences on King Fahd’s death. He said Riyadh was trying its best to bring relations back to pre-Sept. 11 levels and promote confidence among the American people.
“With respect to relations at government level, they are in the best form ever,” he said. Prince Saud said that the Kingdom’s foreign policies would remain unchanged under the new leadership.
“The Kingdom is keen to contribute to global peace and stability, while honoring its commitments on international and regional levels. We will also continue to exert efforts to solve all regional and international problems,” Prince Saud added.
Responding to a question about the possibility of appointing a second deputy premier, Prince Saud said: “This post does not exist in the Kingdom’s basic system of governance. But, it is always an option open for the king to appoint an official as second deputy premier.”
Prince Saud reaffirmed the Kingdom’s resolve to ensure oil-market stability. “Riyadh is keen on realizing stability in the oil market that serves the interests of both producers and consumers,” he said.
He denied reports that Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi’s plan to visit Riyadh to offer condolences was shelved by Saudi authorities. He termed the reports as “baseless,” saying that a delegation from Tripoli had come to offer condolences last week.
Prince Saud highlighted Saudi Arabia’s pioneering role in fighting terrorism.
“The Kingdom started its campaign against terrorism before it struck anywhere in the West, and the Kingdom’s fight against terror will convince impartial observers that it’s against terrorism,” he said.
He also said that Saudi Arabia was looking forward to establishing strong relations with Iraq. “We would like to help Iraq in every possible way,” he said.
