McClatchy: U.S., Saudi Arabia have drifted apart

[babylonsister]

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/18634.html

U.S., Saudi Arabia have drifted apart
By Nancy A. Youssef and Warren P. Strobel | McClatchy Newspapers


JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates failed to bridge differences with Saudi Arabia Wednesday in a growing public dispute over allegations of Saudi support for insurgents in Iraq. Instead, the talks revealed how far the onetime close allies have drifted apart.

Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al Faisal expressed astonishment at recent Bush administration charges that Saudi Arabia is providing funding, equipment and manpower to Iraq's Sunni-led insurgency, and he rejected an appeal by Rice and Gates to give public backing to the Shiite-led government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki.

"I think what is needed is action on the other side. The trafficking of terrorists, I can assure you, is more of a concern for us from Iraq, and this is one of the worries our government has," al Faisal said, flanked by Rice and Gates.

In the talks, which began Tuesday evening and concluded Wednesday morning, Rice and Gates made small strides at best on the key issues: Iraq, Iran, tensions in Lebanon and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Al Faisal said Saudi Arabia would consider opening an embassy in Baghdad, something the United States has long wanted to see in order to bolster the shaky U.S.-backed government there. He also said his country would consider attending a U.S.-proposed peace conference, but only if it "deals with the substantive matters of peace."

He reserved his sharpest reaction for Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and the highest-level U.S. official to charge Saudi Arabia with providing support for the Sunni insurgency in Iraq. Khalilzad, the former ambassador to Iraq, had said in a New York Times opinion piece last month that neighboring countries other than Iran and Syria were pursuing destabilizing policies in Iraq. On Sunday, he said in a television interview that he was referring to Saudi Arabia, among other countries.

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[annabanana]

1. "Saudi support for insurgents in Iraq" - - Someone explain to me again

Why we are about to send them guns and rockets and bombs and jet fighters? Really. Am I missing something here?

[Robbien]

3. Munitions industry needs to continue its double digit profits

Why else?

[babylonsister]

4. My question as well; doesn't make any sense, but is also not

surprising. We do know that at every turn this admin has been wrong about everything. Now is not the time for them to even consider changing that course apparently.

[Junkdrawer]

2. Follow the weapons (money)....

We're going to give them $20 billion in weapons.

"We're very disappointed in your support of the Sunnis in Iraq...Oh, by the way, here's $20 Billion in weapons."

[onethatcares]

5. and while we're at it

why don't you take that pesky GE Plastics division off our hands and sell us some weapons.

[Junkdrawer]

6. One could write a Master's Thesis on the pseudo-adversarial relations...

between the US, the Saudis, and Big Oil.

Start with this....

http://www-geology.ucdavis.edu/~cowen/~GEL115/115CH13oil.html