German MPs lash out at Foreign Minister's plans to attend Saudi Arabia festival

Sputnik
Sun, 10 Jan 2016 11:13 UTC

© AFP 2015/ TOBIAS SCHWARZ

German MPs lashed out at the country's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier over his plans to attend a cultural festival in Saudi Arabia, according to the German newspaper Die Welt.

A decision by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier to attend a cultural festival in Saudi Arabia infuriated German lawmakers, the Die Welt newspaper reported. The festival is due to take place in Janadriyah, about 42 km northeast of the capital Riyadh, in February.

Among those who expressed their dissatisfaction with the move was Norbert Rottgen, chairman of the German parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.

"In light of the mass executions in Saudi Arabia, I believe that [the German FM] taking part in the Janadriyah Festival is irrelevant," Rottgen said.

Rottgen's remarks were echoed by Armin Laschet, Deputy Chairman of the German Christian Democratic Union, who also warned Frank-Walter Steinmeier against visiting Saudi Arabia.

"In light of the recent mass killings and gross human rights violations, the German Foreign Minister should refrain from marking a joyous festival in the desert together with Riyadh authorities," Laschet said.

He added that Daesh militants would have failed to strengthen their position in Syria but for Saudi Arabia's support.

Other politicians from Germany's ruling coalition abstained from directly criticizing Frank-Walter Steinmeier's upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, but stressed the necessity of Germany reviewing its policy on Saudi Arabia, according to the Die Welt.

Also voicing his anger over the German FM's plans to attend the Janadriyah Festival was Dietmar Bartsch, executive director of the German left-wing party Die Linke, who said that "the German Foreign Minister going to Saudi Arabia in the current situation is unacceptable."

"The kingdom absolutely irresponsibly escalates what is already a tense situation in the region. The rejection of this trip would the right signal," he said.

The German Foreign Ministry made no comment on the uproar, but the German ambassador in Riyadh confirmed in December 2015 that Frank-Walter Steinmeier is due to visit the Janadriyah Festival near Riyadh, where the German pavilion will for the first time be on display this year.

The execution of 47 people in Saudi Arabia, among them Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, sparked a round of furious protests by Shia political and religious leaders culminating in an attack on the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran. This protest action finally resulted in the break-off of diplomatic relations between Iran and a number of countries.

Comment: If it was Saudi Arabia's plan to isolate Iran through these executions it looks like its plans are backfiring. Also see:

Riyadh's execution of Shiite Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was timed to coincide with the expected lifting of anti-Iranian sanctions and the rejuvenation of the Syrian peace process. [...]

The timing of this provocation couldn't be more suspect, since it convincingly appears as though the Saudis staged it at precisely the moment when Iran was expected to be reintegrated into the global economy. The UNSC sanctions are widely expected to be lifted by the end of the month or early February, and it looks like Saudi Arabia wants to spoil the event by provoking an anti-Iranian maelstrom that puts pressure on the EU to reconsider its planned energy and infrastructure investments in the country.

Ultimately, France and Germany's economic engagement with Iran will come down to whether or not the US gives them the approval to proceed at their expected pace, and considering how successful Washington was in forcing Brussels to cut its preexisting and very profitable ties with Moscow, it can't be precluded that it could do the same in obstructing unestablished and still forthcoming deals with Tehran.

'Suspicious timing': The geopolitics behind Saudi Arabia's recent executions & provocations