West shamelessly doing business with Al Saud: Commentator

Press TV has interviewed Naseer al-Omari, an author and political commentator in New York, about the inclusion of the Saudi military and its allies in the war on Yemen to a UN blacklist of states and armed groups that openly flout the rights of children.

A rough transcription of the interview appears below.

Press TV: To what extent do you think this report coming out or this news of having added Saudi Arabia to this blacklist is going to help change the attitude of some major Western backers of the Saudi regime in the ongoing conflict in Yemen?

Omari: Unfortunately we have seen similar reports time and time again stating clearly that Saudi Arabia [violates] human rights, Saudi Arabia is torturing its own citizens, we have seen reports that Saudi Arabia puts people through trials without legal counsel, we have seen all these reports. Unfortunately democracies and heads of states of democratic governments continue to do business with Saudi Arabia shamelessly and at the same time they lecture the Third World and they lecture the world about human rights.

We have seen how Saudi Arabia was elected to head the Human Rights Council in a move that is almost an insult to the United Nations which is a dysfunctional institution anyway because Saudi Arabia continues to violate human rights while the United Nations itself is working with Saudi Arabia in Yemen and other countries.

So it is significant but I doubt that Western democracies and Western governments have any shame left to hold Saudi Arabia responsible.

Press TV: The military aspect and the devastations resulting from the military conflict is one thing, but the humanitarian aspect which we are discussing right now is not just a crisis, it is an understatement, it is a disaster, it is a tragedy among many others. Now what does it really take for the international community, including the United Nations, to actually come to grips with the reality on the ground and appreciate the significance and gravity of the situation on the ground in terms of humanitarian disaster?

Omari: I do not know what it will take but the United States of America and the Obama administration has not criticized Saudi Arabia in any effective way. They have actually worked with Saudi Arabia in Yemen. So the hypocrisy is simply stunning. They helped them in the war effort, they guided their weapons that landed on Yemenis, they were sitting in their war rooms and directing the war effort, so have the Brits.

So I doubt that the United Nations despite the anger that you could feel from this report, I doubt that the United States will come out with a strong condemnation of Saudi Arabia although there are changes in that relationship but I do not see a drastic change to hold this dictatorial regime, this oppressive, immoral regime of Saudi Arabia accountable for all the crimes that it had committed internally and externally.

Press TV: How significant is the role of main stream, if they are to play any part, on the Yemen crisis?

Omari: The American media does not see this as a hot topic and therefore it is not worthy of reporting. On the other hand when September 11 happened, the American people were looking for answers and the answers all led to the Saudi regime as we have seen from recent reports.

Nonetheless, the American media does not think that this is a story that is worth following up on and meanwhile 3,000 Americans were killed by 15 Saudis and that does not seem to bother the American media. It is really a shame that we are witnessing this condemnation and simultaneously the silence of the international community.

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