A spy who tried to scale Kremlin wall (Russia)

Asia Times ^ | 08/02/2013 | M K Bhadrakumar

[TexGrill]

When the Central Intelligence Agency's "favorite Saudi prince" - which was how the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz last week described the chief of Saudi intelligence, Prince Bandar bin Sultan - landed in Moscow in his private jet on Wednesday and drove straight to Novo-Ogarevo in the city suburbs to meet President Vladimir Putin at his residence, it didn't turn out to be the "hush-hush" visit that the spy chief is usually accustomed to and would have expected.

The Russian news agency Itar-Tass scrambled to carry a crisp report, quoting the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that the Saudi prince and Putin discussed a "broad range of

issues in bilateral relations, the situation in the Middle East and North Africa".

Evidently, the Russians didn't want to trigger rumors and speculation at a time when there is a new criticality about the Syrian situation - and Bandar's mystique thrives on rumors. In fact, the same day that Bandar's jet landed in Moscow, Syrian government forces "liberated" the strategic city of Homs, which the opposition fancifully used to call their "revolutionary capital".

With this, the government regained control over the country's central provinces, which are traversed by the two strategic highways linking Damascus respectively with the northern city of Aleppo and the Mediterranean port city of Tartus, where Russian navy maintains a Soviet-era base.

[TexGrill]

Global business tip

[mosesdapoet]

Interesting that Bandar shows up in Moscow as the west mostly US are closing their embassies. And the Russian backed regime is winning in Syria. Somehow I’m begining to believe the Persian connection with Assad has been overblown and it’s the Ruskys with their two naval outlets in Syria which might not sit too well with Iran keeping him in business.

[GeronL]

What Naval assets have the Russians sent to Syria?

[GeronL]

I have seen reports the Russian bases were evacuated in June.