Red carpet welcome for Saudi king

[aussie-pak]

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is to receive a ceremonial welcome from the Queen later, including a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

Convoy of limousines

Red carpet welcome for Saudi king

His visit officially begins on Tuesday when the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will greet him in Horse Guards Parade, where he will review a guard of honour before heading for the palace in carriages.

There, during a state banquet, both monarchs will make speeches.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said six planes brought the king and his huge entourage to Heathrow airport.

It took three hours for all the luggage to be unloaded while a convoy of 84 limousines drove the party into London, our correspondent said.

Among them were 23 personal advisors who will stay at Buckingham Palace and more than 400 aides who are spilling out into London hotels, he added.

so whats it like in the UK guys? is it a stand still? is he welcomed well?

[Wazeeri]

The public doesn't care much for visits from leaders. UK isn't a third world country.

But the government will be keen on sucking upto King Abdullah as he is here to finalise the Typhoon deal.

[zaf1986]

I presume central London traffic will disrupted. But as far as I'm concerned, he can **** right off.

Good on the Lib Dems for boycotting the visit.

[Salman]

He stated the other day that Saudia Arabia warned Britian about the 7/7 bombings but the UK government did not act upon the information...

If your going to jump on the bandwagon, at least be original about it...

[zaf1986]

He stated the other day that Saudia Arabia warned Britian about the 7/7 bombings but the UK government did not act upon the information...

If your going to jump on the bandwagon, at least be original about it...
This is coming from the man whose country produced 15 of the 19 hijackers and continues to fund terrorism in Iraq :pissed:

[aussie-pak]

This is coming from the man whose country produced 15 of the 19 hijackers and continues to fund terrorism in Iraq :pissed:

he is also telling the country taht created the taliban in the first place.

[Salman]

How different things could have been if King Faisal was still around... the guy knew how to hold other blood sucking nations by their balls...

[aussie-pak]

How different things could have been if King Faisal was still around... the guy knew how to hold other blood sucking nations by their balls...

its ironic that his brother's son had just came back from the US and shot king faisal

[Salman]

its ironic that his brother's son had just came back from the US and shot king faisal


Yeah, according to wiki, he went to the US to study, got mixed up in hardcore drugs and dodgy women, then came back and killed his uncle...

Born to Musa'id bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, who along with his wife was regarded as being eccentric among the Royal family, Faisal is known to have had a brother named Khaled who died after demonstrations against a television station in Riyadh, shot by Saudi defense forces in 1965. Khaled was regarded as a religious extremist, and his protest was due to his view of the depiction of images being against Islam. Faisal is also known to have had another brother, Prince Bandar, and a sister, Princess Al Jawhara.

Faisal is known to have studied in the United States, taking undergraduate course work at San Francisco State College and University of Colorado. Here he was arrested in 1970 for selling LSD, although the district attorney would drop the charges. Faisal would then take graduate course in political science at Berkeley, although he did not finish his degree, and he would leave the United States after being acquitted of his drug dealing charges due in part to diplomatic immunity.

After leaving the United States, the Prince spent some time in Beirut, where he was known to be involved with drugs. It was also later learned that he visited East Germany, before returning to Saudi Arabia, although the reason behind this was never determined.

Upon returning to Saudi Arabia, his passport was seized, due to the trouble he had caused while abroad. He began teaching at Riyadh University; he also kept in touch with a girlfriend he had met in America. On March 25, 1975 he went to the Royal Palace in Riyadh, where King Faisal was holding a majlis or public meeting with prominent citizens. Joining a Kuwaiti delegation, he lined up to meet the king. The king recognized his nephew and bent his head forward, so that the younger Faisal could kiss the king's nose, in a sign of respect. Rather, Faisal bin Musa'id drew a pistol and shot his uncle in the face numerous times while claiming vengeance for his brother Khaled. He was immediately captured, while the king was rushed to a hospital, and treated by an American doctor, but to no avail, as two bullets shot at point blank range killed him. Before dying, the king is reported to have asked that his assassin be spared execution. Saudi television crews captured the entire assassination on camera.

[Toony™®]

oh please.... house of saud, is one if the most corrupt in the world.. relatives who are government ministers and other positions ofr power including the treasury.

Most 'princes' and 'princesses' drink alcohol outside the country - no doubt inside their homes too.

Then again it was the british 80 odd years ago chose these crackpots to take over the region after the fall of the ottoman empire.

These people then exported their version fo islam to the rest of the world through the teachings of Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab at-Tamimi. As the cleric made a deal with house of Saud.

A country where slavery was abolished only 45 years ago. Women have practically no visible presence in the working environment. Country where the educated popluation survive on senior family handouts because lack of jobs through mismanagement of the countrys finances.

[Daoud]

The House of Saud reminds me of the Romanovs about a century ago, although the situation is even more messed up

[Toony™®]

to add people are not interested other than activists or 'blind' supporters.