Prime Minister Tony Blair was reported Saturday to have sent a personal envoy to Saudi Arabia to intercede on behalf of five Britons held for over a year in connection with a bombing campaign in the kingdom.
After meeting Saudi authorities, the emissary, Foreign Office Minister Baroness Symons, emerged with few concessions, but there appeared to be little chance of the men being released without confessing to some charges, according to the British Guardian newspaper.
"There is not going to be any quick political solution to this. It was made clear that due process will be followed and that there will be full judicial process," the daily quoted Saudi sources saying.
The Britons are alleged to have been involved in a turf war over an illegal alcohol trade and have been linked with a series of bombings in 2000. Four of the five are reported to have already made televised confessions.
The intervention by Blair's envoy follows the Guardian newspaper claiming that four other Britons, who were detained as part of the same investigation but subsequently released, were tortured by secret police. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
