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| Obama's warning to Saudis: Stop cash to terror groups in Pakistan |
| 2009-06-04 |
| Barack Obama begins his tour of the Middle East today with an appeal to Saudi Arabia to help curb the growing instability in Pakistan. The kingdom has so far sat on the fence over the spread of Taliban militants on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, but the issue will be on the agenda when the President meets King Abdullah in Riyadh today. Mr Obama's defence secretary Robert Gates has already asked Saudi Arabia, which has a close relationship with Pakistan and major influence in the region, for help in countering the terrorist threat. Many experts say the Sunni-majority kingdom could be crucial in mediating reconciliation with extremists, and it could also help cut off large sums of money flowing to militants from wealthy Saudi donors and Islamic charities. Saudi Arabia has historical ties with the Taliban, having worked with Pakistan to facilitate its rise in the Nineties and, along with the United Arab Emirates, was one of only two countries to recognise Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Mr Obama is using his Middle East tour to repair America's image in the eyes of the Muslim world. The next stop on his trip will be Egypt, where he will deliver what is one of the most important speeches of his presidency. He is expected to use his speech at the University of Cairo to portray a new America that is not at war with the Muslim world and is willing to listen. He will point out that al Qaeda is not only an enemy of the US but of Muslims worldwide. Mr Obama will also outline the US view on Middle East peace talks, Iran, the war in Afghanistan and unrest in Pakistan. In an NBC interview last night, Mr Obama acknowledged that there will be no quick fix to the hatred many Muslims feel towards the US. "One speech is not going to transform very real policy differences," he said. "I don't expect that people will come away saying, We agree with every single thing that the President said.' I do hope that we can start opening a dialogue that will be more constructive. "I hope people will have a better sense of how America views its relationship to the broader world and to Islam. I hope Americans will recognise that Islam is not a monolithic faith, that there are debates within Islam about how to adjust to a modern world." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #15 Obama should tax Saudi cash to Pakistan to pay for alternative energy Was the teleprompter in arabic this morning? |
| Posted by: airandee 2009-06-04 18:44 |
| #14 I'll get my Envelope! |
| Posted by: Strongly Worded Letter 2009-06-04 17:03 |
| #13 Leadership 101: Never issue orders which you know will not be obeyed. |
| Posted by: mojo 2009-06-04 15:22 |
| #12 "Those areas infected with Islamic government ARE at war with non-muslims." Mmm, no, with the significant exception of Israel, those areas infested with Islamic government are mostly at war with OTHER muslims. E.g., Taliban warring against other Afghanis and Pakistanis, Sudanese killing Darfurians, Somalis fighting among themselves, Shiite killing Sunni (and vice versa) in Iraq. The actual war of Islamofascism is primarily directed against fellow Muslims (again with the significant exception of Israel). And in recent decades areas in the world where there was actual conflict between Muslims and Christians, it was the Christians that were mostly in the wrong (e.g. Serbians murdering Bosnian Muslims, Russians brutally preventing Chechenya's secession while all the while encouraging the secessions of Abkhazia and Southern Ossetia). |
| Posted by: Squinty Ulesing8573 2009-06-04 14:07 |
| #11 Those areas infected with Islamic government ARE at war with non-muslims. Understanding that is above B. Hussein's paygrade. |
| Posted by: Zorba 2009-06-04 12:27 |
| #10 Those areas infected with Islamic government ARE at war with non-muslims. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2009-06-04 12:03 |
| #9 “He is expected to use his speech at the University of Cairo to portray a new America that is not at war with the Muslim world and is willing to listen.” What utter nonsense! First, there is no such definable entity as “The Muslim World”. Second, America has never made any suggestion (explicit nor implicit) that it was “At War” with any such segment of the world’s population specifically defined as Muslim. Third, America has always been “Willing to listen”. (Sometimes to a fault.) The key word here is “Portray”. Portrayal seems to be President Obama’s signature attribute. As in; He’s not a leader but portrays one on TV. |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2009-06-04 11:12 |
| #8 Every attempt at energy independence is also thwarted. No new nuclear plants, banning of drilling, capping our own oil and gas wells, no infrastructure or building to support existing technologies like CNG or distribution of wind power. Trying to understand Dem politics and logic gives me a headache. |
| Posted by: Lumpy Elmoluck5091 2009-06-04 10:08 |
| #7 the story doesn't have quite the bite the headline does |
| Posted by: funky skunk 2009-06-04 10:04 |
| #6 The bottom line Saudi want their country to be the ideal/copied throughout the world hence the ideology comes from Saudi.Does Barry not realise that? They fund all over the world Wahabbism as their ideology/plan! |
| Posted by: Paul2 2009-06-04 09:37 |
| #5 US Department of Energy was created over 30 years ago to combat the energy issue. Another US Government FAILED AGENCY! The energy crisis of the 1970s demonstrated the need for unified energy planning within the federal government. On August 4, 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Organization Act (Public Law 95-91), centralizing the responsibilities of the Federal Energy Administration, the Energy Research and Development Administration, the Federal Power Commission and other energy-related government programs into a single presidential cabinet-level department. The DOE, activated on Oct. 1, 1977, provided the framework for a comprehensive national energy plan by coordinating federal energy functions. The new Department was responsible for long-term, high-risk research and development of energy technology, federal power marketing, energy conservation, energy regulatory programs, a central energy data collection and analysis program, and nuclear weapons research, development and production. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-06-04 09:10 |
| #4 The sooner the US moves away from petroleum-based technology the better. |
| Posted by: Black Bart Ebberens7700 2009-06-04 09:03 |
| #3 "Well, uh, yeah.....like, the Chinese don't wanna buy much more of our Treasuries....an' you guys got the cash, I know, because you were so generous to my campaign under the radar.....so, could ya help a half Muzz brutha out by sending the cash our way instead of Pak-ee-stan's?" |
| Posted by: TeleprompterMan! 2009-06-04 08:44 |
| #2 And if the KSA does NOT stop funding terror groups what is O'Bomba going to do about it? Stop buying their oil? Hardly. Launch a military attack? Even more impossible. That just leaves begging, which doesn't work. And assassination, which is illegal. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2009-06-04 08:35 |
| #1 Barack Obama begins his tour of the Middle East today with an appeal to Saudi Arabia |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2009-06-04 04:51 |