Saudis work to curb Iran's influence
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Worried by Iran's deepening involvement in the Arab world, Saudi Arabia has been working quietly to curtail the Shiite nation's influence and prevent the marginalization of Sunni Muslims in the region's hotspots.
Analysts say the tug-of-war between the two Mideast powers signals a new chapter in an uneasy relationship, one that has swung over the years between wariness and - at times - outright confrontation.
On the surface, both countries have maintained the civil front that has marked ties since a thaw in relations in the early 1990s.
"But events on the ground indicate that the two countries are working against each other as their differences are played out outside their borders," said Ibrahim Bayram, a reporter for the Lebanese An-Nahar newspaper, who follows the country's pro-Iranian Hezbollah group.
Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally in the region, has been putting its economic and diplomatic weight behind groups in direct confrontation with factions backed by Iran in every major conflict zone in the region - Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.
The kingdom has also expressed concerns over Iran's nuclear program. The U.S. contends Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, which Iran denies. But Saudi Arabia has fears even about a peaceful nuclear program because of the possible environmental threat and the potential for conflict between Iran and U.S. troops stationed in Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.
A Saudi official said Iran has sent messages expressing its desire to work with the kingdom to resolve the area's conflicts. But the official said Iran's actions speak louder than those messages, making Saudi Arabia cautious in dealing with Tehran. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
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http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/world/16149745.htm
Saudi detains 139 suspected militants: TV
Sat Dec 2, 2006 2:05pm ET
RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia, fighting a violent campaign by al Qaeda supporters, has detained 139 suspected Islamist militants including a would-be suicide bomber, Al Arabiya television said on Saturday.
The militants were not Saudi nationals and included leaders of several cells, it said, citing a Saudi Interior Ministry statement. It gave no names but said the arrests had been made over the past two months.
Al Qaeda supporters began a campaign to bring down the U.S.-allied Saudi royal family in May 2003 with suicide bombings against Western housing compounds in Riyadh.
Officials say more than 136 militants and 150 foreigners and Saudis, including security forces, have since died though the violence has ebbed in the face of tougher security measures.
The authorities in the world's biggest oil exporter have been seizing dozens of al Qaeda members or sympathisers around the country for months, but the latest round up was large.
Arabiya said the suspected suicide bomber was captured with the equipment to carry out such an attack but gave no more details about the plot. The militants were also in possession of religious decrees allowing attacks on businesses and banks.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-12-02T190529Z_01_L02271618_RTRUKOC_0_US-SAUDI-MILITANTS-ARRESTS.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsHome-C1-topNews-1