British Foreign Secretary Slams Saudi Arabia.
COSTELLO: Britain's top foreign diplomat is going to be in Saudi Arabia this weekend and let's just say it will be awkward. Boris Johnson is accusing the long-standing U.S. and British ally of engaging in proxy wars in the Middle East. Now his boss, the British prime minister, Theresa May, is responding and she's not happy. More now from Erin McLaughlin. She's in London. Hi, Erin.</s>ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. Well, the British foreign secretary and one of the main architects of the Brexit campaign is known for being gaffe-prone. This time directly criticizing a British ally. The remarks were made at a conference in Rome last week. He called Saudi Arabia -- accused Saudi Arabia, rather, of engaging in proxy wars and of puppeteering. Take a listen to some of what he had to say.</s>BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: That's what you've got, international, you've got the -- the Saudis, the Iran, everybody moving in and -- and puppeteering and playing proxy wars. And it's a -- it's a tragedy to watch it. We need to have a -- we need to have some way of encouraging visionary leadership in that area. People who can tell a story that brings people together from different factions and different religious groups into one nation.</s>MCLAUGHLIN: Now, Saudi Arabia and Iran are frequently accused of engaging in proxy wars in places such as Syria and Yemen, but it's very rare to hear a British diplomat publicly criticize an ally in this way. And this all really comes at a particularly sensitive time for the United Kingdom considering British Prime Minister Theresa May was just in the region looking to strengthen business ties. Downing Street already trying to distance itself from Johnson's remarks, saying that they have nothing to do with United Kingdom's official position on this and that he will be in Saudi Arabia at the weekend to convey the UK's position. Carol.</s>COSTELLO: All right, Erin McLaughlin reporting live for us this morning. Thank you. The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a break.