Without a scarf, Merkel presses King on women
Jeddah, Riyadh, May 1: German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and his successors in her first visit to the kingdom in seven years, saying she pressed them on women’s rights, the war in Yemen and other sensitive issues.
Like other high-profile female visitors such as Hillary Clinton, Theresa May and Michelle Obama to the conservative Islamic kingdom, Merkel did not cover her hair or wear a traditional flowing black robe upon arrival.
Women in Saudi Arabia are required to wear a fulllength robe and cover their hair, in keeping with other restrictive laws including a guardian system limiting women’s movement and a ban on driving.
After her meetings in the Red Sea city of Jiddah, she told German journalists travelling with her that she raised human rights concerns with Saudi leaders, including rights of women.
She said Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen also was discussed. For more than two years, the kingdom has been bombing Yemeni rebels aligned with Saudi Arabia’s regional Shiite rival, Iran. The conflict there has driven the Arab world’s poorest countries to the brink of famine, with 27 million people needing humanitarian or protection assistance.
“We don’t believe there can be a military solution to the conflict,” she said.
As is customary, Saudi officials did not comment on the details of the meetings. Merkel said, she specifically discussed the kingdom’s death penalty. She also raised the case of Raif Badawi, a Saudi blogger whose public lashing drew international condemnation. Merkel acknowledged there have been “significant changes in the role of women” but noted they still face many restrictions. — AP, ANI