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    Saudi Arabia Expelling Canadian Ambassador And Suspending New Trade With Canada

    The Canadian Press, 07 Aug, 2018 11:16 AM
    • Saudi Arabia Expelling Canadian Ambassador And Suspending New Trade With Canada

    OTTAWA — Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that it is ordering Canada's ambassador to leave the country and freezing all new trade and investment transactions with Canada in a spat over human rights.

     

    "We consider the Canadian ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia persona non grata and order him to leave within the next 24 hours," Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said on Twitter.

     

    The ministry added that Saudi Arabia is recalling its ambassador to Canada in a dispute that appears to be over a tweet on Friday from Global Affairs Canada.

     
     
     
     

    "Canada is gravely concerned about additional arrests of civil society and women's rights activists in Saudi Arabia, including Samar Badawi. We urge the Saudi authorities to immediately release them and all other peaceful human rights activists," the Canadian tweet said.

     

    The Saudi foreign ministry called the use of "immediately release" in Canada's tweet "unfortunate, reprehensible, and unacceptable in relations between states."

     

    It dismissed Canada's characterization of the activists as "an incorrect claim" and said Canada's attitude was "surprising."

     
     
     
     

    "Any other attempt to interfere with our internal affairs from Canada, means that we are allowed to interfere in Canada's internal affairs," it said.

     

    In an email to The Canadian Press Sunday night a spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland issued a brief response to the Saudi complaint.

     
     
     
     

    "We are seriously concerned by these media reports and are seeking greater clarity on the recent statement from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," said Marie-Pier Baril.

     

    "Canada will always stand up for the protection of human rights, very much including women's rights, and freedom of expression around the world," she said, adding "Our government will never hesitate to promote these values and believes that this dialogue is critical to international diplomacy."

     

    Saudi Arabia said it was also freezing all new trade and investment transactions with Canada and "reserves its right to take further action."

     
     
     
     

    It said it will not accept any form of interference in its internal affairs and considers the Canadian position "an attack" requiring a firm stance to deter "attempts to undermine the sovereignty" of Saudi Arabia.

     

    Amnesty International has said Badawi, the sister of jailed blogger Raif Badawi, was recently detained along with Nassima al-Sada, another prominent female activist.

     

    The human rights group's Middle East research director described the arrests as part of a larger crackdown on human rights in Saudi Arabia.

     
     
     
     

    Jackie Hansen, a gender rights campaigner for Amnesty International Canada, said last Thursday that the circumstances of the arrests were still unclear and there was no news of any charges.

     

    Badawi's brother was arrested in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and later sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in jail for criticizing clerics.

     

    He received 50 lashes in January 2015 during a public flogging but is not believed to have received any further corporal punishment since then.

     

    His wife and three children live in Quebec and became Canadian citizens last month.

     
     
     
     
     
     

    Freeland said on social media last Thursday that she was "alarmed" to hear of Samar Badawi's arrest.

     

    "Canada stands together with the Badawi family in this difficult time, and we continue to strongly call for the release of both Raif and Samar Badawi," she wrote on Twitter.

     
     
     
     

    SAUDI ARABIA'S STATE AIRLINE TO SUSPEND CANADIAN OPERATIONS STARTING AUG. 13

     

    TORONTO — The diplomatic gulf between the federal government and Saudi Arabia widened to encompass travel on Tuesday as the country's state airline announced it was suspending operations in Canada.

     

    A tweet from Saudia announced that its routes operating between the two countries would cease to function in a matter of days, marking the latest escalation in the spat that erupted over the weekend.

     

    "All Saudia flights from/to Toronto, Canada will be suspended starting from 13 Aug 2018," the airline wrote in a statement posted on Twitter.

     

    The airline currently operates at least two routes flying out of Toronto's Pearson International Airport — one to the Saudi capital city of Riyadh, the other to the city of Jeddah.

     
     
     
     

    Transport Canada did not immediately respond to request for comment on the development.

     

    The airline's announcement comes amid newly surfaced tensions between Canada and Saudi Arabia triggered by Ottawa's criticism of detentions in the kingdom.

     

    Saudi Arabia stunned officials on Sunday by announcing that it was suspending future trade with Canada and severing diplomatic ties. It recalled its envoy from Ottawa and gave Canadian Ambassador Dennis Horrak 24 hours to leave the country.

     

    The dispute ostensibly arose because of a tweet issued by Canada's Global Affairs ministry decrying the arrest and detention of two female bloggers and activists.

     

    "Canada is gravely concerned about additional arrests of civil society and women's rights activists in Saudi Arabia, including Samar Badawi,'' the tweet said. "We urge the Saudi authorities to immediately release them and all other peaceful human rights activists.''

     

    The Saudi Foreign Ministry took exception to the use of the term "immediately release," calling it "unfortunate, reprehensible, and unacceptable in relations between states.''

     
     
     
     

    "Any other attempt to interfere with our internal affairs from Canada, means that we are allowed to interfere in Canada's internal affairs,'' the Saudi government said.

     

    Amnesty International has said Badawi, the sister of jailed blogger Raif Badawi, was recently detained along with Nassima al-Sada, another prominent female activist.

     

    Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland stood by Canada's position on Monday, saying Canadians expect their government's foreign policy to be guided by their values.

     

    "We are always going to speak up for human rights, we are always going to speak up for women's rights and that is not going to change,'' Freeland said from Vancouver on Monday.

     

    Media reports also suggest Saudi Arabia may cancel thousands of scholarships for students currently attending school in Canada. Freeland has said it would be "a shame" if funding were to be withdrawn, but offered no confirmation on whether or not the reports were accurate.

     
     

    FREELAND DEFENDS CANADA'S POSITION, SAYS IT WILL ALWAYS SPEAK UP FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

     

    While Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Ottawa will wait to hear more details from Saudi Arabia before responding to the country's decision to freeze new trade deals and expel Canada's ambassador, she defended Canada's position, insisting Ottawa will always stand up for human rights.

     

    Speaking to reporters in Vancouver on Monday, Freeland said Canada is "very comfortable" with its position that led to the new measures announced by Saudi Arabia.

     

    "We are always going to speak up for human rights, we are always going to speak up for women's rights and that is not going to change," Freeland said.

     

    Freeland said Canadians "expect" its foreign policy to be driven by Canadian values.

     

    Saudi Arabia's move to freeze new trade agreements could threaten Canada's $15-billion arms deal that includes providing armoured vehicles to the country, but Freeland called it "premature" to comment on its status.

     
     
     
     

    Thomas Juneau, an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa, said it is difficult to determine what the economic impact on Canada would be without specifics on which deals will be affected.

     

    On one hand, it would be a bad scenario to cancel the arms deals, but on the other, many human rights groups have criticized Canada's decision to sell armoured vehicles to a regime with a "horrible human rights record," Juneau said.

     

    Freeland's comments come a day after Saudi Arabia made the decision in retaliation to a Global Affairs Canada tweet that expressed concerns about the arrests of activists in the kingdom.

     

    "Canada is gravely concerned about additional arrests of civil society and women's rights activists in Saudi Arabia, including Samar Badawi," the tweet said. "We urge the Saudi authorities to immediately release them and all other peaceful human rights activists."

     

    The Saudi foreign ministry ordered Canada's ambassador, Dennis Horak, to leave the country and called the use of "immediately release'' in Canada's tweet "unfortunate, reprehensible, and unacceptable in relations between states.''

     
     
     
     

    "Any other attempt to interfere with our internal affairs from Canada, means that we are allowed to interfere in Canada's internal affairs," the Saudi ministry's said.

     

    Amnesty International has said Badawi, the sister of jailed blogger Raif Badawi, was recently detained along with Nassima al-Sada, another prominent female activist.

     

    Freeland would only tell reporters Monday that the Canadian ambassador is "fine" and would not disclose his location. Freeland said the embassy in Saudi Arabia is still in place and providing services to Canadians.

     

    Freeland also commented briefly on reports that Saudi Arabia is cancelling scholarships for more than 15,000 Saudi students attending university in Canada, saying it would be a "shame" if those students lost the opportunity to study in Canada.

     

    Bessma Momani, an analyst on Middle East affairs and professor at the University of Waterloo, said the move will resonate domestically.

     

    Momani called it, "getting tough on Canada," which she said other countries in the region might welcome if they view Canadian foreign policy to be led by human rights concerns.

     

    There could be a sentiment among allies that, "Finally the Trudeau government is getting poked back in the eye by the Saudis."

     

    At the same time, it sends a strong message to European and Middle Eastern countries not to "mess" with Saudi Arabia, Juneau said.

     

    "There is a clear, uniquely Saudi dimension to this in the sense that in the last three years Saudi Arabia has been behaving very aggressively and assertively in the Middle East," he said, noting the blockade of Qatar and the war in Yemen.

     
     
     
     

    "For Saudi Arabia to punish Canada, it's fairly easy because we're not an important country for them, either are they for us," he said.

     

    Regardless of how allies and others are perceiving the measure, it has rallied support among Saudis, said Momani, adding that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia has a very young nationalistic base, many of whom have taken to Twitter to celebrate the decision and simultaneously criticize Canada.

     

    Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Media said in a tweet earlier Monday that it is investigating a Twitter account that posted a photo of an Air Canada plane heading toward the CN Tower, eerily reminiscent of the 9/11 attacks.

     

    The ministry said it ordered the owner of the account to shut it down while investigations are completed.

     

    FREELAND SAYS WAITING ON SAUDI ARABIA'S NEXT MOVES AMID DIPLOMATIC SPAT

     

    VANCOUVER — Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says Ottawa will have to wait to hear more details from Saudi Arabia before it responds to the country's decision to freeze new trade deals and expel Canada's ambassador.

     

    Freeland says it's "premature" to comment on the status of Canada's arms deal with Saudi Arabia or the economic consequences of the move, adding that she's waiting for more specifics from the country.

     

    She also says there's nothing new about Canada's support for human rights.

     
     
     
     

    Freeland's comments come a day after Saudi Arabia made the decision in retaliation to a Global Affairs Canada's tweet that expressed concerned about the arrests of civil society and women's rights activists in the country.

     

    Saudi Arabia's move to freeze new trade deals could threaten Canada's $15-billion arms deal that includes providing armoured vehicles to the country.

     

    Freeland would only tell reporters today that the Canadian ambassador is "fine" and would not disclose his location.

     

    U.S. TAKES NEUTRAL TONE, DEFENDS 'DISSENT, DUE PROCESS' IN CANADA-SAUDI DISPUTE

     

    OTTAWA — The U.S. State Department says it is "aware" of Saudi Arabia's decision to expel Canada's ambassador and considers both countries to be "close partners" of the United States.

     

    In a statement distributed today on Twitter, a spokesperson says the U.S. continues to support respect for freedoms and liberties "including dissent and due process."

     

    Saudi Arabia declared a freeze on new trade with Canada and recalled thousands of students attending Canadian universities following a tweet last week from Global Affairs Canada that expressed concerns about the arrest of activists in the kingdom.

     

    Amnesty International says Samar Badawi, the sister of jailed blogger Raif Badawi, was recently detained along with Nassima al-Sada, another prominent female activist.

     
     
     
     

    The State Department says the U.S. has asked Saudi Arabia for more information about the detentions, and to publicize details about the status of legal cases.

     

    It also says the U.S. will encourage Saudi Arabia to ensure due process and provide information on "the charges and case status of legal actions against activists."

     

    On Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said there was "nothing new or novel" about Canada's long-standing position on human rights around the world, and that Ottawa will await more details from the kingdom before responding further.

     

    "We are always going to speak up for human rights, we are always going to speak up for women's rights and that is not going to change," she said, adding that Canadians "expect" their government's foreign policy to be driven by Canadian values.

     
     
     
     

    SAUDI ARABIAN CRUDE OIL IMPORTS TO CANADA EASY TO REPLACE, SAYS ENERGY ECONOMIST

     

    CALGARY — An energy economist says Canada can easily replace the oil it imports from Saudi Arabia should relations with the Middle Eastern kingdom deteriorate to the point that trade in crude is halted.

     

    Judith Dwarkin, chief economist with RS Energy Group in Calgary, says eastern Canadian refineries import about 75,000 to 80,000 barrels per day of Saudi Arabian crude.

     

    She says that's less than 10 per cent of total imports and amounts to a "drop in the bucket" compared with the United States, which accounts for two-thirds of imports and could easily cover Saudi's share thanks to growing domestic production.

     
     
     
     

    It is also dwarfed by the 3.5 million barrels per day of domestic oil that Canada exports mainly to the U.S.

     

    According to the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, Canada exported $1.45 billion worth of products to Saudi Arabia in 2017, with about half in the category of vehicles and equipment at $760 million.

     

    The federal office says Canada imported $2.6 billion worth of goods from Saudi Arabia, with $2.5 billion of that in mineral production.

     

    "The Saudis, if they choose to supply less to Canada, will divert those barrels, possibly to China, and U.S. barrels that would have gone to China, but are uncompetitive under Chinese tariffs, come to Canada," Dwarkin said.

     

    "Basically, the cupboard gets rearranged."

     
     

    SAUDI ARABIA'S DIPLOMATIC DISPUTE WITH CANADA: AN EXPLAINER

     

    The diplomatic spat between Canada and Saudi Arabia that erupted over the weekend has left many wondering exactly what is going on. Below are answers to a few basic questions on the emerging conflict:

     

    What prompted the dispute?

     

    The dispute ostensibly arose because of a tweet issued by Canada's Global Affairs Ministry decrying the arrest and detention of two female bloggers and activists and urging Saudi authorities to immediately free the two women — one of whom was Samar Badawi, sister of jailed blogger Raif Badawi — as well as "all peaceful human rights activists."

     
     
     
     

    The Saudi Foreign Ministry took exception to the wording of the tweet, calling it an attempt by Canada to interfere with the country's internal affairs. Saudi Arabia announced it was suspending future trade with Canada and severing diplomatic ties. Media reports also suggest Saudi Arabia may cancel thousands of scholarships for students attending school in Canada.

     

    Some analysts perceive the move as both a power play for the kingdom's emerging young leader and a demonstration put on for the benefit of countries with stronger ties to Saudi Arabia than Canada.

     

    Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently went on a global tour touting proposed economic reforms and promoting his vision for the kingdom as "the next Europe." Despite those ideals, however, the country has continued to take aggressive actions against some neighbours and concerns about domestic human rights practices persist.

     

    What's affected?

     

    The true impact of Saudi Arabia's flexing of diplomatic muscle is still unclear. The decision to freeze new trade agreements could threaten Canada's $15-billion arms deal that includes providing armoured vehicles to the kingdom, but Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said it was "premature'' to comment on its status. Travel to the country will affected in light of an announcement from Saudia Airlines on Tuesday that it will suspend flights to and from Canada starting Aug. 13. The state airline operates at least two routes flying from Toronto.

     
     
     
     

    What's the response been so far, at home and abroad?

     

    Canada has said it's alarmed by the move out of Saudi Arabia, but has not walked back the comments that apparently prompted the row in the first place. On Monday, Freeland doubled down on the position by saying Canadians expect their government's foreign policy to be guided by their values.

     

    "We are always going to speak up for human rights, we are always going to speak up for women's rights and that is not going to change,'' Freeland said.

     

    The United States said Tuesday that both Canada and Saudi Arabia are "close partners" of the U.S., and asked the Saudi government for more information of the detention of several activists. The U.S. also said it continued to encourage the Saudi government to "ensure all are afforded due process."

     

    The European Commission said it's seeking clarification about the arrest of activists in Saudi Arabia. On the diplomatic dispute, commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said "we don't comment on bilateral relations."

     

    Saudi neighbours Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have voiced solidarity with Riyadh, according to media reports.

     
     
     
     

    Who is Dennis Horak and where is he now?

     

    The displaced Canadian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, who was given 24 hours to leave the country, has a lengthy diplomatic career. Prior to his appointment to Riyadh in 2015, Horak's government biography states he was head of mission in Iran for the then-Foreign Affairs Ministry. He also spent a three-year stint as director of its Middle East Relations Division from 2012 to 2015. Freeland declined to comment on Horak's exact location and would only say he was doing fine.

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