President denies Saudi allegations
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland. Photo: Golli
Information contained in documents published by WikiLeaks on Friday indicating that the Icelandic President is keen to foster closer ties with Saudi Arabia has been rejected as “incomprehensible inaccuracies”.
Icelandic news website Stundin published an article yesterday revealing the content of classified documents from the Saudi Arabian embassy to Iceland, specifically the details of an alleged meeting between the Saudi ambassador and Icelandic President, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson.
“An honour to visit Saudi Arabia and the King”
According to one account, President Grímsson met the Saudi ambassador in Reykjavik on 10 January 2013. In the alleged conversation, Grímsson spoke of Saudi Arabia’s great role in securing peace in the region and of the importance of fostering closer economic, trade and political ties between Iceland and Saudi Arabia.
The Icelandic President is also said to have set out how Iceland has always supported Arab issues on the international stage and how it would be an honour to visit Saudi Arabia and the King.
“Incomprehensible inaccuracies”
The information contained in the Stundin article has been categorically dismissed by the President’s as “incomprehensible inaccuracies”.
“The President of Iceland took part in no such event, neither on that day or any other,” reads an official press release. “The only occasion on which the President of Iceland has spoken with the current ambassador of Saudi Arabia is when the latter presented his credentials on 3 Mar 2015.”
More secrets to come
WikiLeaks announced on Friday its intention to publish over 500,000 Saudi diplomatic documents on the Internet over the next few weeks.
According to WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, the documents “lift the lid on an increasingly erratic and secretive dictatorship that has not only celebrated its 100th beheading this year, but which has also become a menace to its neighbours and itself”.
The full text of the Stundin article (in Icelandic) can be found here.
Related article:
