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| Arabia |
| Saudi Arabia casts doubt on report to let US use bases against Iraq |
| 2002-12-30 |
| Saudi Arabia is casting doubt on a report that it has agreed to let the US use its air bases in any war with Iraq. The New York Times (NYT) on Sunday reported that US commanders said they had private assurances from Saudi officials that they could use the kingdom's air bases and a sophisticated command centre. On Monday however both Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and the deputy defense minister said there was no change in Saudi Arabia's position against participation in a war on Iraq. Your position changes every time you open your mouth "The truth is what I said, not what the newspaper reported," Prince Saud told reporters during a visit to Sudan. "Even if the (UN) Security Council issues a unanimous decision to attack Iraq, we hope a chance will be given to the Arab states to find a political solution to this issue," Prince Saud added. The only solution they'd accept is if a Saudi was installed as King of Iraq. Deputy Defense Minister Prince Abdul-Rahman bin Abdul-Aziz said the NYT report was "incorrect." "The Jews misquoted me" "We have no commitments on any matters towards Iraq," Prince Abdul-Rahman was quoted as saying by the daily Okaz. "Iraq? Never heard of it" Opening Saudi air bases to the US would be a boost for any military campaign -- both logistically, and diplomatically. The NYT report came amid confirmation that the US is significantly boosting its forces in the Gulf. It is expected to at least double its troop numbers near Iraq by early next year. US Senator Joe Lieberman, who recently visited Saudi Arabia, said he made clear that Saudi support could be crucial for long-term bilateral ties. "I tried to make it clear to the Saudis, as directly as I could at what is a difficult time in the Saudi/US relationship, but the Saudi relationship remains very important to both countries, that if we need to go to war on Iraq and the Saudis appear not to be giving us the support for our military that we need, it will very badly affect our relationship," Mr Liberman said. I bet that went over well "If they do give us that support it will go a long way towards repairing any breaches that may have occurred in the last year. If I can put it this way, I left feeling that the Saudis will not disappoint us," he added. Not a very ringing endorsement, is it? |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #3 I really, honestly, truly want to know. Are the Saudis really convinced that we buy their total bullshit? Does anyone over there have a clue how they're perceived over here? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2002-12-30 22:12:47 |
| #2 The current situation could be expressed much more tactfully as "No, the NYT doesn't have the story quite right. At this point, Saudi Arabia does not have a firm commitment to military support for a US war with Iraq. Saudi Arabia is still keeping its military options open, and we would really prefer to see the Arab states put together diplomatic solutions for Iraq." Just maybe, if the Saudis could make some effort at a "Helpful - open - straightforward" rhetorical style, and the US officials would drop all the "relationship" bullshit, we would start getting enough of the cards out on the table to start making some progress. There's an old saying that "Intrigue is a sign of incompetence." Sure, we all wind up in situations where we have to make decisions and take action on the basis of bluster, intimidation, and bullshit, but when you have a chance to make informed decisions based on facts, it's much better all around. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2002-12-30 21:03:33 |
| #1 Everyone knows the Saudis are stone liars. But what they say in public is almost never what they do in private. So all public pronouncements saying whatever are bullshit. In a fascist Islamic state the ruth does not exist. |
| Posted by: Rodger Dodger 2002-12-30 14:18:15 |