KABUL: (MEP) Saudi Arabian foreign minister reveals UK and American officials have access to lists of targets, but do not choose them.
“British and American military officials are in the command and control centre for Saudi airstrikes on Yemen, and have access to lists of targets, although they do not play any role in choosing them.
We have British officials and American officials and officials from other countries in our command and control center.
They know what the target list is and they have a sense of what it is that we are doing and what we are not doing,” the Saudi Arabian foreign minister told journalists in London after meeting British ministers and US secretary of state, John Kerry.
The foreign military officers did not play any role in choosing targets, Jubeir said according to the Guardian. “We pick the targets, they don’t.
I don’t know technically exactly what part of the process they are in, but I do know they are aware of the target lists.”
Jubeir said Saudi Arabia’s partners were satisfied their checks to protect civilians were sufficient, pointing to recent comments by his British counterpart, Philip Hammond, who this week told parliament that British officers were working with the Saudi military to make sure they did not violate international humanitarian law.
“Crucial questions remain unanswered:
– Whose command are British personnel in the Saudi operations center under – British or Saudi?
– Are they ‘embedded’ personnel referred to in the defense secretary’s vague December statement, which stated that 94 British personnel were embedded in ‘coalition HQs?
– And what part have ministers played in signing off their activities?
The British public has a right to know,” however the guardian concluded.
