The ambassador was asked about the ongoing trial of 11 men accused of participating in the 2004 assault on a petrochemical complex in Yanbu which killed seven people, including two Britons, and injured at least 50 others.
“We are following the trials of those accused of belonging to the Yanbu terror cell closely,” he told reporters. At one point the conversation shifted toward Saudi dissidents living under the protection of the UK government's democratic institutions. The Kingdom has reiterated time and again the danger posed by the dissidents living in the UK. The accused mastermind of the Yanbu attack, Mustafa Al-Ansari, was a member of a group living in London at that time.
The UK is not just playing host to potential terrorists or those calling for violent acts; it has also been the refuge of liberal Saudi critics who have called for reforms in Saudi Arabia. The ambassador would not comment on the issue, but he candidly admitted that senior Saudi and British officials share information among themselves with ease about the presence and activities of Saudi dissidents in the UK.
Expressing his concerns over unrest in Yemen, the British diplomat welcomed the role of Saudi Arabia in resolving the crisis, and reiterated his country's support for the GCC-brokered peace deal that provides immunity to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh after he steps down. He pointed out that the UK aid from the Department for International Development was being used to alleviate the sufferings of the people in Yemen, working through partners like the UN. “We support the GCC initiative, which sets out the framework for resolving Yemen's political crisis,” said Phillips.
He said there was a need to ensure that the governments receive legitimacy. He, however, hastened to add that, “we must not lose sight of the dangers of Iranian nuclear program ... while all our attention is focused on these regional developments” that have also overshadowed the core issue of Palestinian-Israelis conflict.
Phillips said that Iranian involvement in Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria and Afghanistan has led to the worsening of situation in those countries. He expressed dismay over the, “Iranian action on its own people and on the cadres of the Green Revolution.”
Massive protests that followed the Iranian presidential election against the victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and in support of opposition candidates Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi nicknamed as Green Revolution are still continuing.
On regional issues, he said that the uprisings in countries from Tunisia to Yemen are different from one another. On Libya, he said the NATO action is “legal and right.” Phillips said that the NATO action was taken to protect the civilian population of Libya and the action was in response to the call given by the Arab League and backed by the US and European allies. He called on Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi to cease power immediately and respond to the “aspirations of the people.”
On the question of Syria, he shared his concerns with the international community, including the Gulf countries that have stepped up their condemnation of the crackdown. The diplomat said the UK had taken some unilateral actions like imposing travel ban on 13 Syrian leaders and President Bashar Assad. He also stressed the positive role played by Saudi Arabia in regional affairs, saying that the UK sees the Kingdom as “a key strategic partner.”
