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SOPHIE’s CHOICE: UK Countess' Bahrain 'gift' criticised on IRI’s Press TV
09-Jan-2012
The Countess of Wessex's acceptance of jewels from Bahrain's royal family has been criticised amid reports of human rights abuses under the regime. Yet Items given inan official capacity do not belong to the recipient and usually become part ofthe Royal Collection. Sophie's husband Prince Edward received a pen and watch and a silk rug during the day-long visit. It is understood that the trip in December was taken with the agreement of the Foreign Office.
Countess of Wessex's Bahrain jewel gift criticised on IRI’s Press TV:
Press TV Intro : « The royal ties seem to be more important than the pain of the ordinary Bahrain is. This is how it appears and it has revealed that a member of the British royal family has accepted lavish sets of Jewels from the Bahraini regime in her visit to the country last month. Queen Elizabeth's daughter-in-law, Sophie; Countess of Wessex accepts the gift from the Bahraini kings at a time that the brutal Saudi-led repression still continues in the country. »
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SOPHIE’s CHOICE
Countess of Wessex's Bahrain jewel gift criticised (bbc)
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The Countess of Wessex Refuses to Sign for an autograph collector Andrew Broughton (april 5th, 2007):
Countess of Wessex's Bahrainjewel gift criticised (bbc)
The Countess of Wessex's acceptance of jewels from Bahrain's royal family has been criticised amid reports of human rights abuses under the regime.
Ex-Foreign Office minister Denis MacShane says the gift should be sold to benefit victims of the civil unrest. His comments came as Buckingham Palace gave details of the gifts received by the RoyalFamily over the past year.
Items given in an official capacity do not belong to the recipient and usually become part ofthe Royal Collection. Sophie's husband Prince Edward received a pen and watch and a silk rug during the day-long visit.
It is understood that the trip in December was taken with the agreement of the Foreign Office.
Gift guidelines
The official list of presents shows the countess received a "suite of jewels" from both King Hamad Al-Khalifa and prime minister Shaikh Khalifa.
Buckingham Palace does not comment on specific gifts, but Royal Family guidelines and procedures relating to gifts drafted in 2003 state that "before accepting any gift, careful consideration should always be given, wherever practicable, to the donor, the reason for and occasion of the gift and the nature of the gift itself...
"Equally, before declining the offer of a gift, careful consideration should be given to any offence that might be caused by such action."
They also say "organisations and individuals should be discouraged from offering extravagant gifts".
Last year Bahrain's crown prince declined his invitation to the royal wedding of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, after a public outcry over the use of excessive force towards pro-democracy protesters in the country by police.
Human Rights groups later accused the Bahraini authorities of using violence and torture against its citizens during the civil unrest in February and March.
The king expressed "dismay" at the findings of a report and promised reforms but confrontations between security forces and the mainly Shia pro-democracy demonstrators are said to occur almost daily.
The list also shows that Prince Andrew was given an iPad by Apple designer Jonathan Ive, a book on Dr Who characters the daleks by the BBC and a trenchcoat by Burberry.
While visiting Australia, the Queen was given a stuffed toy koala family, plus a toy kangaroo with a joey by members of the public.
Princess Anne's official gifts include a History of the York Butchers' Guild and a picture of Durham painted by a prisoner inside HMP Durham.
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David Cameron in Persian Gulf: Human rights 'on the agenda'
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Nov 05, 2012 01:23 AM PSTUK PM Cameron arrives in the Gulf (bbc)
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Balancing act: Turmoil prompts UK review of Bahrain & Saudi ties
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Sep 20, 2012 11:37 AM PDTBalancing act (bbc)
Turmoil prompts UK review of Bahrain and Saudi ties
The UK Parliament's influential Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) has announced a wide-ranging inquiry into Britain's foreign policy towards two key Gulf countries: Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
The inquiry, which follows a recent FAC report on the Arab Spring, will look closely at how the UK balances its various interests in those countries in defence, trade, security, counter-terrorism and human rights.
Although announced this week with little fanfare, the inquiry goes to the heart of the government's dilemma: how to support democratic change in the Middle East without jeopardising vital bilateral defence and trading partnerships worth billions of pounds.
The two countries have a special place on the Foreign Office's global map.UK Labour Leader Ed Miliband: 'Stop Bahrain Grand Prix'
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Apr 20, 2012 09:51 AM PDTMiliband: Stop Bahrain Grand Prix (bbc, VIDEO)
Labour leader Ed Miliband has said the Grand Prix in Bahrain should not go ahead, amid continuing protests against the government.
He said the race should be stopped due to "human rights abuses" and urged the government to "make its view clear".
Amnesty International says Bahrain faces a "human rights crisis".
Prime Minister David Cameron said peaceful protests should be allowed - but reform had begun in Bahrain and it was a matter for Formula 1.
Mr Miliband's intervention comes after his shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, called on British Formula 1 drivers such as Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton to boycott Sunday's race.