Pk_Thunder
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UK defence minister in S. Arabia
Sunday, 26 Sep, 2010
JEDDAH, Sept 25: Britains defence minister Liam Fox was in Saudi Arabia on Saturday for talks after the crash of a British-supplied Eurofighter jet that killed a Saudi pilot.
Fox flew into the Red Sea city of Jeddah on Friday for a four-day visit during which he is to hold meetings with top Saudi officials, according to the official SPA news agency.
He was greeted by diplomatic officials, as Saudi defence minister and Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz has remained in Morocco for a month where he is believed taking treatment for cancer.
The visit comes a month after a Saudi lieutenant colonel died when his Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet crashed shortly after takeoff on a training flight from Moron air base in southern Spain.
A Spanish flight instructor was able to eject safely ahead of the crash, but preliminary reports suggested the Saudi pilots ejector malfunctioned.
Eurofighters were grounded in recent weeks in several countries including Britain, Germany, Spain and Saudi Arabia due to the problematic ejectors.
Saudi Arabia took delivery last year of the first of the 72 Eurofighter Typhoons it plans to buy from Britain.AFP
