Saudi says US human trafficking criticism unfounded
RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said on Saturday it strongly disagreed with a U.S. report naming it as a top offender in human trafficking, a step which in theory might lead to sanctions against the world's biggest oil exporter.
A State Department report on Friday said victims in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were forced to become domestic servants, labourers and prostitutes and even boy camel jockeys as young as three.
"We are surprised by the contents of the report, and we disagree with most of what has been mentioned," said Prince Torki bin Mohammed bin Saud al-Kabeer, undersecretary for political affairs at the Saudi Foreign Ministry.
"The rules and regulations of Saudi Arabia prohibit exploitation and trafficking of people. Our religion also does not accept this," he told Reuters.
More than 6 million of Saudi Arabia's 22 million people are foreigners working in the conservative Muslim kingdom. Other Gulf Arab states named also have large expatriate populations.
Human rights groups have highlighted trafficking problems in the Gulf for years and President Bush has said he would make rights and democracy a central plank of U.S. relations with countries in the region this year.
The States Department annual report put the four U.S. allies in the lowest category for human trafficking. Such states "do not fully comply with the minimum standards (laid down by U.S. law) and are not making significant efforts to do so."
States in this category could face sanctions if they do not improve their record within three months. But such sanctions have rarely been applied, and even if they were, would not have much effect on the wealthy OPEC oil producers.
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