DAMMAM — The deputy Saudi ambassador to Jordan has claimed the Saudi Foreign Ministry has approved the payment of financial aid to Saudi detainees in Iraq. Hamad Al-Hajiri said the 62 Saudi detainees would get paid soon after the necessary procedures are completed. He said the embassy has approached Iraqi officials with the aim of transferring Saudis in Iraqi prisons to the Kingdom to serve the rest of their terms. He said the number of the Saudis detained in Iraqi prisons is now 62 after the execution of Mazen Al-Masawi, although he said there are reports the number is actually 64, with six on death row. He said: “We respect the Iraqi decisions and Iraqi judiciary's independence irrespective of whether we agree with their verdicts or not. “We are now holding discussions with officials at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry and the International Red Crescent into the possibility of postponing the implementation of death sentences against the Saudis.” He said the Kingdom is trying through diplomatic channels to enable Saudi lawyers hired by the detainees' families to provide legal aid. He said there are 53 Saudi prisoners in Jordan. Around 80 percent of them were convicted of drugs-related offenses, he added. — SG
