Saudi Official Met Sept. 11 Accomplice - Report Says Motassadeq Had Meeting With Diplomat

wsh sub reqd | 12/16/3

[Betty Jo]

Yes, but why that date?

[blam]

"Any bets on whether this clown has an 'accidental heart attack while off a sand dune deep in the desert'?"

I can hear the murmur all the way from here.

[blam]

"Midnight Jan 2nd."

What year?

[marron]

Haven't thought through the implications of actually doing it, but occupying the oil fields would be child's play. Much of Saudi production is offshore just south of the Kuwaiti border.

It is easy to see why Saddam's invasion of Kuwait was such a threat to the Saudis, most of their production is within an hour's drive south from the border. Saudi Arabia is a huge landmass, but the part that counts is all right there. There is no Saudi Army worthy of the name; the US Army is the Saudi Army.

The refineries and shipping terminals are all right there on the east coast, as well. The thing about a desert kingdom is that the population is sprinkled like islands on a sandy sea. As Saddam found out, it is very easy to control the few highways that connect the population centers. Air superiority equals control of the entire territory. Saudi Arabia would be much easier to control than Iraq.

The refineries and oil fields are operated and maintained by foreign workers, primarily philipinos, with western supervision, mostly American and Brit. So taking control would not be difficult at all. In fact, almost all technical work, and all labor of any kind, is done by foreigners. Technical work by philipinos as I say, and the heavy lifting by South Asians; Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis, and so forth. The Saudis themselves are essentially an irrelevance in their own country.

The people would not be thrilled at a US occupation, but they would not fight for the Sauds, either. The mullah's would be out of work, causing trouble, though.