Chechnya is Russia’s Internal Matter: Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah

arabnews.com ^ | Saturday, 6, September, 2003 (10, Rajab, 1424) | P.K. Abdul Ghafour

[Destro]

Saturday, 6, September, 2003 (10, Rajab, 1424)

Chechnya Russia’s Internal Matter: Abdullah

P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News Staff

JEDDAH, 6 September 2003 — Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, yesterday called for a peaceful solution to the Chechnya problem but described the crisis as an internal matter for Russia.

“We look forward to a settlement of the protracted Chechen issue through peaceful and constitutional means within the framework of the Russian Federation,” the crown prince told the Russian Interfax news agency. Crown Prince Abdullah, who concluded his landmark three-day visit to Moscow on Thursday, highlighted the significance of Saudi-Russian oil cooperation to preserving international oil market stability.

“My visit to Russia was primarily aimed at further enhancing bilateral cooperation in various spheres and discussing international and regional issues of mutual concern,” the crown prince said.

“Saudi Arabia views Russia as a partner and not as a competitor in the area of oil,” he said. The two countries signed a major agreement for cooperation in the oil and gas sectors during the royal visit.

The crown prince also lambasted the campaign by parts of the US media against Saudi Arabia following the Sept. 11 events, and said the smear campaign was based on “unjustified and groundless” allegations.

He said the Kingdom was going ahead with its war on terror, adopting comprehensive measures to stamp out terrorism. He urged greater international cooperation in combating terrorism and drying up sources of terrorist funding.

Crown Prince Abdullah declared himself optimistic that the commercial partnership between Saudi Arabia and Russia would be bolstered by technology transfer, increasing investment and joint projects.

He had praise for Russian support for the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, and said it had positively contributed to oil market stability. “As regards Russia’s admission to OPEC, it is up to Russia to make a decision in this respect if that is in its interest,” he added.

“There is coordination between OPEC and Russia,” he said and commended Moscow’s efforts in support of OPEC initiatives to achieve fair prices.

The crown prince said he hoped that Saudi-Russian joint ventures would cooperate in the fields of petroleum and gas as well as scientific research.

A number of Russian companies, along with other international firms, have taken part in a forum organized by the Saudi Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources on investment prospects in the Kingdom’s gas and energy sectors.

[Destro]

The Saudis are cutting off the Chechen jihadis? Fear of the USA? Or Fear of what Russia is about to do with her oil prices? In any case some how once again the Russians have slugged their way into a bloody victory. My hope is that they don't betray the long term solution for a short term victory. Though to be fair to Russia, it is not like the USA is fighting a war against Islamic ruled nations and their sponsorship of the jihads (no matter what wishful thinking we have on FreeRepublic).

Hats off to Ivan for making the Saudi's eat their words. Just be careful because Muslims are allowed to lie to advance a jihad.

[Paleo Conservative]

Just be careful because Muslims are allowed to lie to advance a jihad.

Just like commies.

[Destro]

No, not just like commies. Commie leaders lied because they were amoral-there was no lie doctrine in communisim (which is an economic theory not a political one). Islamic theocracy says a lie is justified in dealing with non-Muslims as part of the jihad.

By the way, not to nitpick-you call yourself Paleo Conservative but you identify as a neo-con in your posts, am I wrong in this?

[Brian S]

Putin is a very, very wise character.

KGB blood flows threw his veins and he is intent, and will succeed, in rebuilding Russia to its superpower status.

Of course it won't be next year, but over, perhaps ten years, with it's oil and mineral wealth and with the "west's" addiction to it...it shall be done.

I don't fear a Russian "super-state" any longer. Socialism is socialism and we are quite on our way to matching them within twenty years. :/

[Alberta's Child]

A historian once remarked that the single most important driving force in the 20th Century was that the U.S. spoke English, and that the single most important driving force in the 21st Century will be that the Russians are white.

I wish I could remember where I read that, but it seems awfully interesting, doesn't it?

[steveegg]

Sure sounds like the Saudis found someone else to pay for the Chechen war.

[txzman]

Probably because the Russians know how to play hardball - and Chechnya is a very touchy matter for Putin right now. The Saudis were probably told - 'touch this and lose your hand'.

[Destro]

A Russian Super state will not be looking to export world revolution. It will be a regional empire like it was pre Stalin.

[Destro]

bump

[Destro]

Like always, the Russians play chess while we play checkers.

If Chechnya was a pawn to the Suadis then they just lost it.

[steveegg]

May I correct that statement? It was actually Lenin that started to switch things from a regional empire to a revolution-exporter.

[Destro]

I just meant communisim. Czarist Russia may have been expansionist but it was in a regional manner the way America was expansionist in the American West.

[Angelus Errare]

Abdullah may well have wised up due to the recent attempt by al-Qaeda to kill him. However, given that this is coming from a Saudi and may be intended for foreign rather than domestic consumption (remember how often al-Jubeir and Co denounce bin Laden here in the states). While Arab News is the sister site for al-Sharq al-Awsat, I have to wonder whether the Arabic text isn't markedly different from the English, as has occurred before.

[WOSG]

"Fear of the USA? "

Nah ... what lept in my mind immediately? OIL. They say a 'sudden intuition' is usually a good guess. :-)

"Just be careful because Muslims are allowed to lie to advance a jihad." yup... maybe they will call the West Bank an Israeli private matter? hmmm, Israel will need to discover oil under Tel Aviv first!!

[WOSG]

And we'll need/want a Slavic/Russian regional power to keep the Turk-men Islamic underbelly in check, eh Destro??? :-)

[Destro]

Someone has too--sure aint Uncle Sam who helped advance the jihad in the early years.

[marron]

The Saudis can turn Chechnya on and off like a spigot.

My take is that the Saudis feel a cold wind blowing from our direction, especially since the fall of Baghdad and the exposure of some of their double dealing, and they are looking for a counter weight. Russia fills the bill.

Consequently they are willing to temporarily sacrifice Chechnya in order to knit the alliance.

From Putin's side, he gets victory in Chechnya, and an invitation into Saudi's oil industry, which could be worth billions, and all he has to do is promise to "consult" with them on oil pricing and lend them a sympathetic ear when we threaten them. Its almost too good to be true, from his point of view.

Of course, the oil projects may or may not actually happen, and the oil consultations almost certainly will not restrain Russian oil production. But when two double-dealers get together, what do you expect?

The key thing from our point of view is whether or not Russia begins to squeeze us in Central Asia. So far we are more-or-less partners with Russia there, and they are whole-heartedly expanding production there, in counterpoint to their policy at the beginning of the nineties of obstructing production.

The Saudis need to obstruct oil production outside of their control, which besides Iraq might include PKK attacks on the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline project, or other trouble-making in Central Asia. If Russia begins to cooperate in some of this troublemaking, we have trouble. If not, then the Saudi-Russia alliance may not mean much. But I worry just the same; the Saudis are used to purchasing heads of state, and I don't know why Russia's generals and secret police and foreign ministers would be any harder to buy than our own. They may even be cheaper.

[Destro]

Saudi money on apparatchiks in Russia is wasted. While the Saudis can buy our policy makers/think tanks and thus is money well spent in Russia policy is passed by only one man-Putin. He is the Alpha and the Omega.

[goldstategop]

Ahhhh.... but Israelis suppressing Hamas, whom the Saudis' fund, is NOT Israel's internal matter. Go figure!

[steveegg]

While Stalin was more successful than Lenin (after all, Lenin had to deal with the White Russians first, and that took several of his prime ruling years), ole' Vladimir Ilyanich was as Red as they came.