Cases of Saudis in Iraqi prisons ‘to be reopened’

The cases of 70 Saudis being held in Iraqi prisons would be taken up once the Saudi government opens up an embassy and consulate in the country, a senior diplomat said recently.
Sami Al-Saleh, the Kingdom’s ambassador in Jordan, said that the opening of the diplomatic offices, first announced last year, would strengthen ties between the two countries.
Saudi Arabia closed its embassy in Iraq in 1990 after the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. There have been closer relations this year between the two countries since a new government replaced the regime of Nuri Al-Maliki.
Meanwhile, Al-Saleh warned that Saudi students studying in Jordan should not return home without the permission of the embassy, which risks them losing their scholarships.
He said that scholarship students are given two return tickets a year to head home, but all travel arrangements must be made with the knowledge of the Saudi Embassy in Jordan, even if the examinations have been postponed because of the bitterly cold weather that has hit the country.
Al-Saleh said many of the 7,000 scholarship students have returned home without permission from the embassy, which is unacceptable.
He said all Saudi students in Jordan are safe.
The Huda storm, which struck the Middle East on Tuesday last week, has brought sub-zero temperatures and snow across large parts of the region, killing and injuring several people.