Charles Moore Charles Moore

The road from Damascus

Wafic Said, father of the Al-Yamamah deal, on his love for Britain and his shock at events in his native Syria

Wafic Said is an exotic import, but a friend of Britain for 50 years. He has given roughly £100 million to philanthropic causes in this country, including founding and funding the Said Business School at Oxford. He also helped Britain secure with Saudi Arabia, Al-Yamamah, the biggest defence agreement in our history, which was signed in 1985.

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