A senior British government official described a new car bombing in Saudi Arabia involving a Briton on Saturday as very serious, saying British subjects in the region had received special advice on extra security precautions.
The bombing, in which a British man was seriously hurt, was the third in a month, despite the arrest of a US national and several other suspects since the previous attacks.
Peter Hain, junior minister at the Foreign Office in London, told BBC radio: "It's very serious and I don't want to speculate on who was responsible."
However he did note that British policy in Iraq of confronting Saddam Hussein had evoked criticism in the region.
"This may or may not be related, but I think Britain is seen as a fair minded player in the whole of the Middle East."
"We have issued special advice on extra security, especially with cars, to make sure people check and remain vigilant," he said, adding:
"It's the third such incident, and it's too early to say whether it is part of a pattern, but you can't ignore one incident after the other, which is why we have had a British police team out there investigating the situation with the Saudi authorities.
British people working in Saudi Arabia had "a very happy coexistence with local people," Hain stressed: "Their presence is valued, their business activities in the main are also valued."
"The Saudi ministry of the interior has cooperated fully with us, and has made clear its determination to find who are responsible, and we want to see that happen as quickly as possible," the official added:
"They have been very quick to get on to this problem, they have cooperated fully with us, and yes we are satisfied, they are just as concerned as we are."
Such incidents were not in the interests of Saudi Arabia and very damaging to its reputation. "They are just as anxious to find out who is responsible as we are," Hain added -- LONDON (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
