A friend translated a piece in Svenska Dagbladet for me and gave me permission to share it with y’all. The translation is verbatim rather than idiomatic.
-The emissary has not presented a Swedish apology, but has presented that there was no intention to insult Saudi Arabia or Islam, the source says to (news agency) TT.
-It has been deplored from the Swedish side if what was said has been perceived as an insult.
According to Al Arabiya, the Swedish King is also to have underscored “the force of the relationship” between Sweden and Saudi Arabia to his Saudi colleague King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud. Under which forms this message was presented is not known.
On Friday, the government’s emissary Björn von Sydow was received by the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman.During the conversation Björn von Sydow presented Sweden’s wish to develop the relations between the two countries, according to UD (Foreign Office).
“It is very positive that the government’s emissary has been received”, says Foreign Minister Margot Wallström according to a press release.
It sounds as if they’re both putting up a polite show – Sweden is allowing Saudi to save face, and Saudi is allowing Sweden to leave it at that. Wallström hasn’t actually backed down.
Good.
“It has been deplored from the Swedish side if what was said has been perceived as an insult.”
That’s usually diplomatic-speak for “that’s your problem, our position will not change”.
Let’s hope.
Precisely. It’s the kind of thing that’s infuriating when there really is something that needs apologizing for, but since this is not one of those times…it’s pretty amusing.
Always nice to see diplomats using their superpowers for good.
-The emissary has not presented a Swedish apology, but has presented that there was no intention to insult Saudi Arabia or Islam, the source says to (news agency) TT.
The poor lambs in Saudi Arabia. This started out as a human rights issues, but the Saudis have cleverly turned it around and made it one about insulting Islam.
The Swedish diplomat should have responded by saying that promoting human rights has nothing to do with insulting religion. The Swedes set out to shame Saudi Arabia into fessing up to its horrible human rights record, but the Saudis have ended up shaming the swedes by portraying their sortie as ‘islamophobic’.
So were the Vatican to object in a similar fashion to Swedes attacking its position on euthanasia and abortion, the Swedes would issue a statement ‘presenting’ that there was no intention to insult The Vatican or Christianity?
Not on your life.
The Swedes, like all the others have capitulated.
http://www.arabnews.com/featured/news/724801
Bow and hail the protector of the two holiest shrines in Islam.
Translation: “We’re all REALLY sorry you’re a bunch of sorry-ass whiny putzes”.
@Decker #4:
The Saudis continue to claim that “true” human rights are those which are defined by Sharia Law. It seems to me that the Swedes saying that “there is no intent to insult…” is simply a diplomatic way of saying that their promotion of human rights does, in fact, have nothing to do with insulting religion. (The subtext being that if the Saudis are insulted, that’s *their* problem.)
The scandal is that you needed someone to translate it for you. As in: this hasn’t been reported in the Anglophone press.
http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/9481542/swedens-feminist-foreign-minister-has-dared-to-tell-the-truth-about-saudi-arabia-what-happens-now-concerns-us-all/