Post by Bozur on Feb 27, 2005 4:27:20 GMT -5
3:04pm (UK)
Saudi Arabia Making Progress Towards Reform - Straw
By Emily Pennink, PA
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw today defended Saudi Arabia’s progress towards giving women the right to vote.
Mr Straw, in a speech supporting the oil-rich monarchy’s moves towards political reform, said that the vote for women in Britain itself was “relatively recent”.
British women were allowed to vote in 1918 after a hard-fought Suffragette movement spanning decades.
The Foreign Secretary was speaking at a joint press conference with his Saudi counterpart Prince Saud Al-Faisal ahead of talks in London.
He said that Europe should speak with “humility” on the issue of reform because no-one should tell another nation how best to pursue it.
“When we in Europe speak of the need for reform elsewhere, we must be sure to do so with a good deal of humility.
“We cannot forget that the democracy and prosperity which our own continent enjoys are after all, in many of its nations, very recent phenomena.”
He pointed out: “Some of our own democratic foundations such as votes for women are relatively recent.”
He added: “If properly managed, as Saudi Arabia has recognised, reform will preserve what Saudis and others most cherish in their society: Values of respect for family, for others and for religion; a social responsibility and order; and of a powerful morality based on the great and noble face of Islam.”
He also told delegates that both countries were determined to stamp out the “scourge of terrorism”.
During the past two years, Saudi Arabia, which produces a quarter of the world’s oil, has been under intense pressure to adopt liberal reforms and deal with militant Islamists.
Earlier this month, the monarchy held its first elections, although women were barred from voting.
Prince Saud told the delegates that reform should be an “evolutionary” process adding he would not be surprised if women got the vote in the next election.
Asked if it was the people who were resisting reform, Prince Saud said: “To a great extent it is true but I suppose we will catch up with each other.
He said that, for example, most of the complaints against the introduction of mixed education had come from women.
The monarchy is fighting the misconception that emulating Western society, seen as materialistic and lacking in spiritual values, would “unravel the moral fabric of society”, he said.
He insisted Saudi Arabia was “waging an unrelenting war” on international terror and claimed that western perceptions of Saudi Arabia as a breeding ground for extremism were exaggerated.
He said: “Perhaps the most dangerous thing for us Muslims that the terrorists have done is the tarnishing of Islam. We are fighting it as quickly and as drastically as we can.”
Amnesty International spokesman Mike Blakemore said afterwards that “gross human rights violations” had continued in Saudi Arabia and been made worse by the government’s steps to combat terrorism.
He said “The Foreign Secretary calls for positive change in Saudi Arabia but there is no underestimating the size of the task. Torture and ill-treatment are rife.
“The criminal justice system works in strict secrecy. Many executions take place and women still suffer severe discrimination.
“Hundreds of suspected religious activists, critics of the state and protesters have been arrested or detained while political parties, trade unions and independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International are prohibited with harsh penalties for those supporting them.”
Saudi Arabia is the political and economic heart of the Middle East with 25% of the world’s oil reserves, Mr Straw said.
As home of Islam’s two holiest cities, it is of great significance to Muslims all over the world, including the two million living in Britain.
It is also the UK’s largest export market in the region and Britain is the fourth largest investor there.
Saudi Arabia Making Progress Towards Reform - Straw
By Emily Pennink, PA
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw today defended Saudi Arabia’s progress towards giving women the right to vote.
Mr Straw, in a speech supporting the oil-rich monarchy’s moves towards political reform, said that the vote for women in Britain itself was “relatively recent”.
British women were allowed to vote in 1918 after a hard-fought Suffragette movement spanning decades.
The Foreign Secretary was speaking at a joint press conference with his Saudi counterpart Prince Saud Al-Faisal ahead of talks in London.
He said that Europe should speak with “humility” on the issue of reform because no-one should tell another nation how best to pursue it.
“When we in Europe speak of the need for reform elsewhere, we must be sure to do so with a good deal of humility.
“We cannot forget that the democracy and prosperity which our own continent enjoys are after all, in many of its nations, very recent phenomena.”
He pointed out: “Some of our own democratic foundations such as votes for women are relatively recent.”
He added: “If properly managed, as Saudi Arabia has recognised, reform will preserve what Saudis and others most cherish in their society: Values of respect for family, for others and for religion; a social responsibility and order; and of a powerful morality based on the great and noble face of Islam.”
He also told delegates that both countries were determined to stamp out the “scourge of terrorism”.
During the past two years, Saudi Arabia, which produces a quarter of the world’s oil, has been under intense pressure to adopt liberal reforms and deal with militant Islamists.
Earlier this month, the monarchy held its first elections, although women were barred from voting.
Prince Saud told the delegates that reform should be an “evolutionary” process adding he would not be surprised if women got the vote in the next election.
Asked if it was the people who were resisting reform, Prince Saud said: “To a great extent it is true but I suppose we will catch up with each other.
He said that, for example, most of the complaints against the introduction of mixed education had come from women.
The monarchy is fighting the misconception that emulating Western society, seen as materialistic and lacking in spiritual values, would “unravel the moral fabric of society”, he said.
He insisted Saudi Arabia was “waging an unrelenting war” on international terror and claimed that western perceptions of Saudi Arabia as a breeding ground for extremism were exaggerated.
He said: “Perhaps the most dangerous thing for us Muslims that the terrorists have done is the tarnishing of Islam. We are fighting it as quickly and as drastically as we can.”
Amnesty International spokesman Mike Blakemore said afterwards that “gross human rights violations” had continued in Saudi Arabia and been made worse by the government’s steps to combat terrorism.
He said “The Foreign Secretary calls for positive change in Saudi Arabia but there is no underestimating the size of the task. Torture and ill-treatment are rife.
“The criminal justice system works in strict secrecy. Many executions take place and women still suffer severe discrimination.
“Hundreds of suspected religious activists, critics of the state and protesters have been arrested or detained while political parties, trade unions and independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International are prohibited with harsh penalties for those supporting them.”
Saudi Arabia is the political and economic heart of the Middle East with 25% of the world’s oil reserves, Mr Straw said.
As home of Islam’s two holiest cities, it is of great significance to Muslims all over the world, including the two million living in Britain.
It is also the UK’s largest export market in the region and Britain is the fourth largest investor there.