Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah holds talks with Canada’s Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon at his palace in Riyadh on Saturday. (SPA)

RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Saturday received Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon who is on a brief visit to the Kingdom.

The Canadian foreign minister also held talks with Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Saud Al-Faisal. According to Usama Al-Nugali, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, talks between the two foreign ministers focused on bilateral relations, including investment opportunities, education (a number of Saudi students studying on government scholarships are in Canada) and the “well-being of their citizens.”

The latter is thought to be a reference to the case of brothers Mohamed and Sultan Kohail, both Canadian citizens, who were found guilty along with a Jordanian of the murder of 19-year-old Syrian Munzer Al-Hiraki in a schoolyard brawl in 2007.

All three were found guilty in March last year: Mohammed, 23, and Jordanian Mohanna Ezzat, 22, were sentenced to death; Sultan was sentenced to a year in prison and 200 lashes.

Earlier this year an appeals court called on the lower court to revise the death sentences but the latter has since reconfirmed them. The case is now awaiting a further decision.

The case has caused outrage in Canada and Canadian officials have said that it was a reason for Cannon’s visit. Before arriving, the foreign minister was quoted as saying that Canada would do its utmost to persuade the Kingdom not to implement the executions.

Meanwhile, the father of the dead boy is reported as saying that officials and concerned parties have contacted him several times in the past month over the matter.

The Canadian minister earlier on Saturday met with Saudi Human Rights Commission’s President Bandar Al-Eiban and discussed issues of mutual concern. Al-Eiban spoke about King Abdullah’s efforts to promote world peace by launching his interfaith dialogue initiative. Al-Eiban and Cannon also discussed Goldstone’s report on Gaza war crimes, which was endorsed by the UN’s Human Rights Council.

The Canadian minister expressed his government’s appreciation of King Abdullah’s efforts in regional and international issues, and on promoting a culture of tolerance among followers of different faiths.

Foreign Minister Cannon is in the Middle East on a trip that has also taken him to Libya and Israel, his second visit there this year.