Saudi Arabia Demands Canadian Apology to Resolve Diplomatic Spat
Saudi Arabia demanded an apology from Canada in order to end a diplomatic dispute that’s damaged business ties between the two countries, accusing the Canadian government of treating it like a “banana republic.”
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said his country refuses to be lectured to over human rights, denouncing as “outrageous” a tweet last month by Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland urging the release of two imprisoned activists.
“What are we? A banana republic? Would any country accept this?” al-Jubeir said Wednesday at an event at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. “You owe us an apology. It is very easy to fix -- apologize, say you made a mistake.”
The tough Saudi stance, a day after Freeland said she hoped to meet al-Jubeir during the United Nations General Assembly in a bid to resolve the stand-off, seemed to set back prospects of an immediate solution. In a backlash over Canada’s human rights policy, the Saudis ordered a freeze on new contracts being awarded to Canadian firms and suspended flights by their state airline to Toronto.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-26/saudi-arabia-demands-canadian-apology-to-resolve-diplomatic-spat
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