Rights groups protest as queen welcomes Saudi king to Britain

Britain: Queen Elizabeth officially welcomed King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to Britain yesterday amid burgeoning controversy …

Britain:Queen Elizabeth officially welcomed King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to Britain yesterday amid burgeoning controversy over his stay.

The monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh greeted King Abdullah on Horseguards' Parade at the start of the first state visit to the UK by a Saudi king for 20 years.

Prime minister Gordon Brown, home secretary Jacqui Smith and minister for the Middle East Kim Howells joined dignitaries on the dais for the ceremonial welcome of the "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques".

Saudi Arabia's human rights record and the king's recent remarks about the July 7th terror attacks have heightened controversy over the trip.

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The king arrived at the central London parade ground with the Prince of Wales. He shook hands with the queen and spoke to her through a translator.

A uniformed Sir Ian Blair, head of the Metropolitan Police, who led the force through the London bombing atrocities of 2005, also greeted the king with a handshake and a smile.

King Abdullah insisted in a recent BBC interview that Britain was not doing enough to tackle terrorism. The foreign office was forced to rebut his claims that the Saudi authorities had provided information which could have averted the July 7th attacks.

Meanwhile, human rights groups have urged the British government to put pressure on the king over allegations of torture and subjugation of women in Saudi.

About 100 human rights and anti-arms trade activists jeered and shouted "shame on you" as the royal procession passed along The Mall in central London.

Activist Peter Tatchell said it was "incredible hypocrisy" for ministers to condemn the Burmese and Zimbabwean regimes while saying nothing about human rights abuses in the Saudi kingdom.

He said: "It just shows oil and arms sales seem to have bought the government's silence."

Comedian and activist Mark Thomas said alleged bribes to the Saudi regime were counterproductive and urged ministers to reopen the Serious Fraud Office inquiry. - (PA)