The Saudi King, Salman bin Abdelaziz Al Saud.
The Diplomat. Madrid
The request drawn up last Friday by Podemos urging the King and Queen not to visit Saudi Arabia following the recent execution of 47 people in the Kingdom has, no doubt, given satisfaction in Iran, a country traditionally at loggerheads with Riyadh, and which has financial links with leaders of the party led by Pablo Iglesias, via television programmes.
Podemos has urged both the Government and the Royal Household to cancel the visit by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia to Saudi Arabia, initially programmed for 16 February, which has still not been confirmed by either the Royal Household or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After learning of the death of Nimr al Nimr, a leading Shiite cleric, together with a further 46 people in Saudi Arabia last week, the Podemos party considers that it is not “reasonable” for the Royals to visit Riyadh.
“We do not believe it is reasonable for an institution like the monarchy, supposedly neutral, and one that must promote the values shared by the citizens of Spain, to pay an official visit to a country like Saudi Arabia”, the party said in a communique from the Secretary of International Relations, in which, they allege, the country commits several violations against human rights “which must be the cause of concern and condemnation “.
“For this reason, we are urging the Government and the Royal Household to cancel this visit”. However, they pointed out, it should not be forgotten that this visit which was announced by the Saudi Ambassador on the public television programme Audiencia Abierta, on TVE, is still not confirmed, as on the suggested date, Spain could still be in the process of forming a government, and this could make it advisable for the monarchs to remain in Spain.
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Urging Defence to give account of military cooperation and arms sales
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It is not the first time that Podemos, whose financial links with a television company of the Tehran regime are well known, takes sides in respect of Riyadh. Last November, the leader of Podemos, Pablo Iglesias, urged a review of Spain’s relations with countries such as Saudi Arabia, “from where money flows to the Islamic State” and, in particular, to review arms sales by the Spanish government to the Gulf state.
In addition, in the middle of the crisis provoked in the region by these executions, the Podemos party has asked “the Ministry of Defence to give a full account of military cooperation and the sale of arms”, not only to Saudi Arabia but “all those countries where there are accusations of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law”.
