Saudi Arabia's dilemma: what if Ben Ali warrant arrives

[Valin]

The National:

Caryle Murphy
Jan 30, 2011

RIYADH // When it was disclosed two weeks ago that Tunisia's former president, Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, had arrived with his family in Saudi Arabia, many Saudis were not happy that he had been given refuge in their country.

"We have everything to lose and nothing to gain by accepting him in Saudi Arabia," a Riyadh businessman, Turki Faisal al Rasheed, wrote in an e-mail. "What will be the Saudi position when we receive a court order from the Tunis government to deliver back Ben Ali in Tunis?"

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So far, Riyadh has not received an extradition request, according to a source who requested anonymity. If it does in the future, it is unlikely to turn over Mr Ben Ali, given the close ties between his government and the Saudi government in the past, several Saudi attorneys said.

"I think they will discreetly ask him to find a different place to live and then say it's not our problem anymore," said one Jeddah attorney, Bassim Ali.

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