Saudi Ambassador Denies Oil-Election Link: AP Story

[David Zephyr]

WASHINGTON - The Saudi ambassador to the United States on Wednesday denied any linkage between the U.S. presidential election campaign and a Saudi pledge to the Bush administration to push for lower oil prices.

There was no "quid pro quo," Prince Bandar bin Sultan told reporters after a meeting with national security adviser Condoleezza Rice about the latest terrorist strike in Saudi Arabia.

"The president has asked a few times that we should be helping to make sure that oil prices don't go too high that would curb the world economy recovery," Bandar added.

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"I cannot say we're not aware that you are going through your seasonal tribal warfare now so it's very dangerous to open one's mouth here on any issue," said Bandar. "I hope Senator (John) Kerry has heard my explanation about the oil and he can be assured that we didn't make any deals that could interfere in our friends' internal affairs."


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040422/ap_on_go_pr_wh/white_house_bandar

[maddezmom]

1. "seasonal tribal warfare"??????

:eyes:

[LittleApple81]

2. I agree that sounds so absolutely patronizing. But he owns Bush,

and Bush acts like he owns the country. Ergo, Bandar owns the country.

[pacifictiger]

3. they're probably playing georgie

for the fool that he is - they're certainly a lot smarter and more cunning, so probably able to beat him at his own game.

[yltlatl]

4. It really does sound shockingly patronizing

but not just the "seasonal tribal warfare." To me it's at least as shocking that he's stepping into the middle of the fray with a preemptive political attack on Kerry. I thought that foreign diplomats normally avoided that sort of thing. The sick thing is, according to "House of Bush, House of Saud", he has more influence in this country than many of our "elected" officials, so he by the perverse equations of power in this country he kind of has a right to get involved.