The Prince of Wales discussed with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdelaziz the human rights of Britons being held in Saudi Arabia during a visit to the kingdom, said reports.
Amnesty International had called on the Prince Charles, who has visited Saudi many times, to exert his "considerable influence" on the country's ruling royals by raising human rights concerns during his three-day cultural trip, said the BBC.online.
The appeal followed the appearance by Sandy Mitchell, from Kirkintilloch in Glasgow, on television earlier this month when he apparently admitted masterminding a recent bombing campaign in the kingdom.
Human rights campaigners have described his words as "forced". He faces being publicly beheaded if found guilty.
A spokesman at St James's Palace said "the matter was raised in discussions between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Wales."
As the talks were private, she could give no further details, she said, adding that the trip was "non-political," according to the news service.
But reports said that Prince Charles talked about the issue of consular access, amid concerns about the delay of more than a week before British embassy officials in Riyadh were allowed to see Mitchell and several other Britons arrested at the end of last year.
Mitchell, who was living and working in Riyadh at a military hospital, is still in custody along with several other Westerners.
His confessed that he masterminded the car bombing that killed Briton Christopher Rodway, a 47-year-old engineer from Salisbury, on 17 November last year.
Mitchell, who made his TV confession along with a Canadian and a Belgian man, also said he had been involved in a car blast on 22 November which injured three Britons, one seriously, and an Irishwoman.
Meanwhile, AFP said that the Saudi embassy in Ottawa launched a public relations drive Friday to assure Canadians that the suspects will get a fair trial.
In an unusual move, the Saudi ambassador Mohammed Al-Hussaini issued a press release trying to explain the Saudi system of Justice.
In the release, Al-Hussaini disputed some published reports suggesting that the Canadian accused of murder, William Sampson, had been denied access to Canadian consular officials, said AFP.
"Mr. William Sampson, a Canadian linked to the explosions, had already access (more than once) to consular officials from the Canadian Embassy in Riyadh who reported Mr. Sampson is being treated well and is in good health and spirits," said the ambassador.
The ambassador also rejected published suggestions that Sampson, Mitchell and a Belgian may have been tortured or otherwise coerced into making confessions.
"All those who are involved in the bombings will get a fair trial and if they are innocent, they have nothing to fear," wrote the ambassador - Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
