LONDON – Islam has nothing to do with terrorism, said British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia William Patey in a meeting with reporters here Wednesday night.
“We distinguish between Islam and groups which adopt violence,” he said, praising the Saudi-British cooperation in combating terrorism.
“There is an excellent cooperation between the two countries in the field of information exchange and experts’ visits as well as training or technical knowhow,” Patey said.
He rejected allegations that terror groups in some foreign countries were being financed from inside Saudi Arabia. “The Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has succeeded in their quest to stop home financing of these groups,” the envoy added.
Saudi Arabia has been fighting terror since May 2003. It foiled at least two major plots since 2006 to hit major oil facilities. Last April, more than 170 people were arrested for planning attacks on oil and industrial facilities, including some who had been training as pilots in preparation for possible suicide operations.
Patey praised the World Conference on Dialogue, an initiative of King Abdullah.
“Such a dialogue is not about our affiliations of religions, but on what brings us together, the values and tolerance we are sharing and our endeavor to remove the misunderstanding among the followers of all religions, hoping that further initiatives on dialogue will come to reality in the future,” he said.
On cultural and educational relations between the two countries, the ambassador said there are more than 8,000 Saudi students receiving university education in Britain.
“We welcome Saudi students in Britain and seek to facilitate the issuance of visas and residence permits for them,” he said, adding that the British Embassy in Riyadh is exerting considerable efforts to facilitate these procedures.