As oil prices bite, US delays showdown with Saudis over rights

[Jon8503]

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) - The United States has put off a showdown with Saudi Arabia over its alleged violations of religious minority rights as skyrocketing oil prices threatened to crimp US economic growth.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice decided to postpone by six months imposing sanctions against the desert kingdom in the wake of a US finding that the Saudi government denied residents some of the most basic religious freedoms, according to a State Department official.

"The waiver is a temporary measure that allows us to continue discussions leading to progress on important religious freedom issues," department spokeswoman Amanda Rogers-Harper told AFP.

In a report on religious freedom released a year ago, the US government for the first time designated Saudi Arabia a country "of particular concern".

The document accused Riyadh of backing anti-Jewish and anti-Christian campaigns, torturing non-Muslims and discriminating against Shiites and other Muslims who do not adhere to the officially sanctioned Wahabi tradition.

"Freedom of religion is not recognized or protected under the country's laws, and basic religious freedoms are denied to all but those who adhere to the state-sanctioned version of Sunni Islam," the report stated.

http://www.afp.com/english/news/stories/051001064727.kpjnoyit.html

[Deja Q]

1. Man, if only we didn't need their oil...

That's what we get for ditching alternative energy programs in the name of "obsolescence". And guess who did that? sainty-poo reagan. x(

Or was there no other way at the time, in which case why has no president since been mindful of the obvious "cultural gulf", national security, and quantity issues?

[rodeodance]

2. dippospeak

....."The waiver is a temporary measure that allows us to continue discussions leading to progress on important religious freedom issues," department spokeswoman Amanda Rogers-Harper told AFP.