“It was a pleasure to welcome Al-Isa to the Foreign Office today as part of a weeklong visit to the UK. Our friendship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, an important partner and ally in the region, is in excellent health. Today we discussed how to open up new areas of cooperation in the justice sector, in particular how we can support legal sector reforms in Saudi Arabia,” Burt said in a press statement after a meeting between the two ministers.
Earlier Al-Isa and British Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke discussed various aspects of the legal systems of both kingdoms during a visit to the Justice department. Saudi Ambassador to UK Prince Muhammad bin Nawaf accompanied Al-Isa.
Al-Isa removed several misunderstandings about the Saudi legal system during the discussions with British officials. He outlined in detail the Saudi judiciary system especially about the independence of the judiciary, application of the principles of human rights on the basis of the Islamic Law and the freedom of expression in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Isa also gave a detailed description of the Saudi legal system including the adoption of modern technology in courts and notary offices. He gave a brief outline of the major reforms introduced by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.
The minister also told the British secretary how judges and their assistants are given thorough training.
During the discussions, Al-Isa told his British counterpart that British law firms may set up alliances with Saudi law firms to defend and pursue their client’s interests in Saudi courts. The alliance is needed because Saudi courts permit only Saudi lawyers to take up formalities related to defense. Al-Isa pointed out that such arrangements for legal defense are found in some other countries as well.
They also compared the Saudi and British experiences in matters pertaining to arbitration and other options to settle disputes.
Al-Isa also visited the British Parliament and met with its members.
Daniel Kawczynski, MP, who is also chairman of the British-Saudi Parliamentary Friendship Society, briefed Al-Isa about the role of the queen, the House of Commons and the House of Lords in the structural organization of the British Parliament. The Saudi minister also watched a question-answer session between Prime Minister David Cameron and members of Parliament.
Al-Isa described to the MPs the salient points of the Saudi legal system including the criminal law and the criticism leveled against it. He also answered questions posed by the MPs on topics such as the Islamic Qisas (retribution punishment), the concept of mahram (legal male guardian), women’s financial rights, right to conduct business, freedom of movement, transparency of court judgments and the interfaith dialogue.
The MPs also stressed the need for more visits such as the one by the Saudi law minister to strengthen relations between the two countries.
