Saudis Block Swedish Minister’s Speech At Arab League

Foreign ministers of the Arab League take part in an emergency meeting at the League's headquarters in Cairo

Saudi Arabia has blocked a plan for the Foreign Minister of Sweden to address the League of Arab States in Cairo on Monday in a protest over criticism of its human rights record, a Swedish foreign ministry spokesman told Reuters:

Sweden’s Social Democrat-led government wants to raise its international profile by emphasizing human rights and a feminist approach to foreign policy. It also decided to recognize a Palestinian state, without formally consulting its allies, immediately after taking office in October last year.

“Last night, we were told that Saudi Arabia had blocked Margot’s participation,” the foreign minister’s press spokesman Erik Boman said. “The only explanation we’ve got is that this is because of the statements the Swedish government has made regarding human rights in Saudi Arabia.”

Margot Wallstrom had been invited to give a speech to a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers and the trip was aimed at building cooperation to promote democracy, human rights and economic integration. Wallstrom tweeted criticism in January of Saudi Arabia’s flogging of blogger raif Badawi, calling it a “cruel attempt to silence modern forms of expression.”