Netherlands: KSA may curb trade ties over Wilders' anti-Islam slogans

[jaunty]

It is still is their country, their rules. For both the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia.

If the Netherlands wants to put Wilders in a high political position, then Saudi will choose not to deal with them.

Yeah but he is not in any high official position yet and Saudis don't have to deal with him at all as of now.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Yeah but he is not in any high official position yet and Saudis don't have to deal with him at all as of now.

Still, business and trade is a voluntary thing. If someone decides they don't want to do business with someone else, then really there is not much to do.

 

[jaunty]

Still, business and trade is a voluntary thing. If someone decides they don't want to do business with someone else, then really there is not much to do apart from accept it.

I understand that, but this decision does not make any sense to me.

 

[Shahmir]

Unfortunately gulf countries including saudi arabia have fettish about white skinned europeans and americans, I have heard from my jordanian friend that white skinned europeans and americanss are paid double the salaries paid to some brown skinned foreigners, the height of sense of insecurity and inferiority complex.

See how long Saudis will stick to ban the trade with their favorite white skinned dutch, I doubt it will last longer.

 

[Al Bhatti]

May 18, 2014

Saudis support decision over Netherlands ties
Grave concerns over deterioration of relations between countries

Saudi nationals have welcomed the decision by the authorities to exclude Dutch companies from future projects due to virulent anti-Islam campaign stickers by a populist politician, saying that the next move should be recalling the Saudi ambassador from Amsterdam.

On Friday, Saudi daily Al Eqtisadiya said that the kingdom was looking into suspending trade delegations between the two countries, banning all Dutch companies from taking part, whether directly or through subcontracting, in any future projects and reducing the number of visas granted to Dutch companies and investors who are not part of vital projects in the country.

The Saudi decision was taken in response to stickers printed by far-right politician Geert Wilders that display slogans in green and white script with a sword in the image of the Saudi flag denigrating Islam, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and the Quran.

Abu Rayyan, a blogger, said that Saudi Arabia needed to live up to its reputation as the country that defends Islam and Muslims from all forms of abuses.

“What needs to be done now is to sever all ties with a country that cannot respect us,” he said.

“We wish such a decision had been taken a long time ago because we should not allow the abuse of our religion and Prophet in any form,” Al Shammari, a blogger, said.

Al Sharari, another commenter, said that respect for religion and national values was more important than business ties, regardless of their importance.

“We can have business deals with other countries, if need be,” he said.

“Now, we want to have ambassador back so that they appreciate the pain they have caused us.”

In Bahrain, Jaber Mohammad, an analyst, said that he supported the decision.

“We welcome the decision by the Saudi authorities as it sets the record straight,” he said.

However, Kaabool, another commenter, said that he was concerned the situation would take larger dimensions.

“We expect the European Union to stand with The Netherlands, and this could aggravate the situation between the two regions,” he posted.

The Netherlands is one of the top ten trade partners with Saudi Arabia and has investments worth $3 billion (Dh11 billion) in the Saudi kingdom, Al Eqtisadiya said.

Saudi Arabia imports mainly technology products and chemicals from The Netherlands and exports oil and by-products. The Saudis also use the port of Rotterdam extensively, the daily said. There are around 30 joint companies, it added.

Bilateral trade between the countries was nearly $5 billion in 2010 and the Netherlands is one of the largest investors in Saudi Arabia, making up nearly 4 per cent of foreign direct investment that year, the Dutch government said.

In addition to trade in oil and gas, the Netherlands exports a wide range of products and technology in the agriculture, machinery, chemical and petrochemical sectors in Saudi Arabia.

Dutch exports to Saudi Arabia amounted to €2.3 billion (Dh11.56 billion) in 2013, according to the Dutch statistics bureau CBS, as reported by Bloomberg. That is 0.5 per cent of total exports of €433.8 billion.

Wilders, in reaction to the trade measures by Saudi Arabia, said in a statement that the Netherlands “should have boycotted that country a long time ago.”

Saudis support decision over Netherlands ties | GulfNews.com

--------------------------------

This is the sticker in question.

It is made in the form of Saudi flag and it says in Arabic: Islam is a lie and Muhammad is a criminal and Qura’an is a poison.

 

[Al Bhatti]

Squeeze Shell.

And more business deals between Saudi Aramco and PetroChina!

China’s biggest bank gets approval for Kuwait branch

Abu Dhabi Oil concession

more might come

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

Wait, so you are going to put sanctions on an entire country for the actions of an individual? Makes sense.

This is the issue which caused all this:

The Saudi decision was taken in response to stickers printed by far-right politician Geert Wilders that display slogans in green and white script with a sword in the image of the Saudi flag

What sense would it make when the EU comes up with one law or another condemning anti-Semitic every now and then, while at the same time, some politicians run their mouths against another faith, and another country?!

Wilder is a well-known Dutch politician, no one ought to blame him but himself.

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

Sense?? What is this new word you talk off?.... I wonder if there are any such leaders on the other side who have insulted other religions and nations....

Why should we care about what the other side say or think? Is that some sort of inferiority complex?

We don't go on the street to vandalize an American-chain fast-food restaurant or remove the barracks of an X or Y embassy in our country, whilst we are suffering from 400 and something terrorist attacks per year.

This is what decent nations do, and we are doing it.

I don't think the Netherlands' economy would collapse as a result of this move anyway.

 

[MilSpec]

Why should we care about what the other side say or think? Is that some sort of inferiority complex?

We don't go on the street to vandalize an American-chain fast-food restaurant or remove the barracks of an X or Y embassy in our country, whilst we are suffering from 400 and something terrorist attacks per year.

This is what decent nations do, and we are doing it.

I don't think the Netherlands' economy would collapse as a result of this move anyway.

you have barracks for embassies? wow!

 

[Al Bhatti]

Damaging ties

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

Damaging ties

Link isn't working.

 

[Al Bhatti]

Link isn't working.

http://gulfnews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1337874!/image/586971264.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_475/586971264.jpg

 

[Fukuoka]

Again words, as the attacks of zionist Al Qaeda against Israel
Fake defensers of Islam

 

[al-Hasani]

Good. Why have relations with that tiny country if their officials cannot behave? Not needed for anything although business is always business and decisions like those must be closely studied before the final decision is taken. What's worse many Dutch clowns support that albino.

The sticker is obviously a serious insult not only towards KSA, our beautiful flag but also against Islam - a religion followed by nearly 25% of all humans.

Also interesting to see how little publicity this grave insult got. If some low-ranking cleric in KSA had done something similar the Western media would have behaved like monkeys on steroids and if a thread was made about that on PDF it would have had 500 replies by now and not 29.

Yet the negative track record of "Islam" is not even amounting to 1/10 of the crimes that were committed in the name of "Christianity".

Sad but true.

 

[Irajgholi]

I don't think if $5bn could really make Dutch to fall on their knees.