The British Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook, emerged yesterday from top-level talks, saying he was hopeful the Saudi authorities would spare two nurses accused of murdering a colleague in Dhahran.
Mr Cook told reporters he had asked for clemency for the two during his meeting with the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, and said the reply had been encouraging.
"I made a humanitarian plea this afternoon and it was heard with sympathy. I am now more hopeful than I was before this meeting that I will be able to achieve a humane outcome," he said after the 50-minute meeting.
Britain already has expressed its concern over the sentence of eight years in jail and 500 lashes on Lucille McLauchlan. A verdict has yet to be passed on Deborah Parry, who could be publicly beheaded if convicted of the murder.
Mr Cook said before the meeting that his priority would be to ensure neither the lashing nor a beheading took place. "I am hopeful. . . after this afternoon's meeting because I was heard with great sympathy and courtesy and an appreciation of the concern in Britain," Mr Cook said.
"We have registered that concern and that concern has been understood. I am encouraged by today's meeting," he said before returning to Britain.
The two nurses deny killing the 55-year-old Australian, Ms Yvonne Gilford, last December at the Saudi medical complex where they all worked.
Mr Cook said he raised the question of increased access to the nurses by British officials in Saudi Arabia and said the two sides had agreed to meet again. "This will remain a very high priority for our foreign policy and for the Foreign Office," he said.
Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday it would not bow to British pressure for a more lenient sentence on McLauchlan and Mr Cook said there could be no question of Britain pressing the Saudi authorities to interfere in the court case.
"Prince Saud made it clear that there is still some way to go on the legal proceedings but he understood and appreciated the depth of concern that I was conveying."
Lawyers for Parry are negotiating with Mr Gilford's brother Frank, who under Saudi law has the right to either call for clemency or to demand the death penalty by beheading if the nurse is found guilty of murdering his sister.
British officials said there was no question of public money being used to pay for the compensation.
Snared in system where confession is the only escape, page 9