RIYADH, April 19: A poem by Saudi Arabia’s ambassador in London Ghazi Algosaibi hailing Palestinian suicide bombers as “martyrs” has sparked controversy in Britain.

The poem has been criticized by some British media, but the Foreign Office denied reports that it would summon the ambassador to “rebuke” him, saying it only planned to make clear to the envoy that it viewed suicide bombings against Israeli targets as “a form of terrorism”.

But a Saudi religious figure defended the ambassador, saying he had expressed “the feelings of all Muslims”.

Algosaibi, whose poem was published on the front page of the London-based pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat on April 13, spoke for all Muslims, “who support martyrdom operations against the Israeli enemy”, Sheikh Saad al-Braik said.

The British statement further said: “We consider suicide bombings to be a form of terrorism and we intend to take a suitable opportunity to make our views clear to the Saudi ambassador.”

“It is not a summoning, it is not a rebuke or a reprimand. We shall make our views known to him. We do not intend to take it any further,” he said, adding that the story had been overplayed by British media.

Algosaibi, a prominent poet and novelist whose poems often get front-page treatment in Saudi-owned Al-Hayat, singled out for8-year-old Palestinian girl who blew herself up outside a west Jerusalem supermarket, killing two Israelis, on March 29.

“Say to Ayat: O bride of spears, may all beauty be a sacrifice for your eyes ... She kisses death, laughing happily.

But Arab journalists in London said privately they suspected pro-Israeli groups of trying to exploit the poem to stick the “terror” label to the Arabs at a time when European public opinion was increasingly opposed to Israel’s actions against Palestinians.

They said pro-Israel groups were trying to cover up Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s crimes against the Palestinians.—AFP