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Saudi Arabia hits back
View(s):Saudi Arabia has recalled its ambassador, Abdulaziz bin Abdul-Rahman Al Jammaz, in what appears to be a diplomatic tit-for-tat after Sri Lanka recalled its envoy in Riyadh.
Saudi Embassy sources in Colombo confirmed that Ambassador Al Jammaz has left Sri Lanka. Other diplomatic source said “he has been recalled for consultations,” a diplomatic euphemism for a recall.
External Affairs Ministry Secretary, Karunatilleke Amunugama told the Sunday Times last night “We have not been informed.” EAM sources said there was no similar intimation when Sri Lanka recalled its Ambassador, Ahmed Jawad, in the wake of the beheading of Rizana Nafeek last month. The housemaid from Mutur was sentenced to death by a Saudi Arabian court after a trial that was severely criticised by international human rights groups.
Ambassador Jawad returned to Colombo on Jan. 27. Meanwhile senior diplomat Vadivel Krishnamoorthy has been nominated as its next envoy to Riyadh. He will be the first non-Muslim Sri Lankan ambassador in the oil kingdom. He is currently attached to the External Affairs Ministry as its Director General for the South-East Asia and SAARC.
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