Posted on 10/12/2001 7:07:45 AM PDT by callisto
Billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal suggested Friday that he'll make New York pay a price for Mayor Rudy Giuliani's refusal to accept his $10 million dollar check for the Twin Tower relief fund, saying he's ready to "put his money where is mouth is."
The Saudi prince contributed the big bucks after Giuliani gave him a tour of the World Trade Center disaster site Thursday. Bin Talal said at the time, "Saudi Arabia is with the United States wholeheartedly."
But hours later the wealthy Arab released a statement saying:
"I believe the the government of the United States should reexamine its policies in the Middle East and adopt a more balanced stance towards the Palestinian cause. Our Palestinian brethren continue to be slaughtered at the hands of the Israelis while the rest of the world turns the other cheek."
Upon hearing about the bin Talal's press release, Giuliani condemned the statement as "highly irresponsible and very, very dangerous." Hizzoner's aides returned the Saudi's money after determining that his check had not yet been cashed.
The mayor's snub prompted the Saudi prince to leave in a huff for home, where he spoke to NBC's Andrea Mitchell.
"He's not backing down," Mitchell told radioman Don Imus Friday morning. "He says he has a big stake in New York (and) he puts his money where his mouth is."
Bin Talal's financial stake in the Big Apple includes a $10 billion investment in banking giant Citicorp, half ownership of the Plaza Hotel, substantial investments in the Saks Fifth Avenue department store and NewsCorp., the parent company of the New York Post and the Fox News Channel.
He also has part of his $20 billion personal fortune invested in AOL Time Warner, Apple Computer.
A sure sign the Clinton era is ending -- campaign finance monies NOT driving all policy and politics.
His outrage would be his loss unless he just attempts to close businesses down. But if they are banks and the such, he can't do that either.
No downside for us in anything he does, including leaving.
How does that line go ?
We already established your a whore, now were haggling over the price.
No he doesn't. He is not running for anything.
David Rockefeller IS Citicorp, where Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has invested the $10 billion he just threatened to pull out to spite Juliani. And G. Bush senior was David Rockefeller's hand pick for president when Reagan won (no, the source is NOT some Bircher pamphlet, but from a well documented Bill Moyers interview with David Rockefeller in 1979). And we -- that's you and me -- definitely DO depend on Saudi oil, at least for the moment, and as we enter this war.
So the plot thickens.
That all being said, I love Juliani. CAN'T BE BOUGHT! God, what a breath of fresh air. It's like coming out of eight years locked in a well used portable public out-house standing out in the hot sun. And Juliani MUST have known how well placed the good prince actually was there in NY, given the Citycorp connection. GUTS. PRINCIPLE. HONOR.
And I REALLY love G.W. Bush. The guy may be the most clumsy high-profile public speaker I've witnessed in my lifetime. But I'd MUCH rather have a poor, but SINCERE public speaker for my commander in chief, than a slick, silver tongued, duplicitous four-flushing demagogue like Bill Clinton. So I just hope this prince's affair with Juliani doesn't put too much pressure on GW. There's a war to fight, and we haven't even really begun yet.
Because there's probably going to be body bags coming home, and ALL OF US are going to need to put our hearts into sucking it up with courage and dignity.
With all due respect to you also, his timing was very poor. He could have waited a few days and then given the check. Once back in Arabia he could have spouted off all he wanted to about our policy in order to appease his "subjects." Rudy was backed into a corner and not given any way out except to return the check.
Richard W.
I guess this means he will hire a Fillapino to flip Rudy off?
These Saudi punks harbor terrorists. In fact, that is where most of them come form.
Although, that's just Blair's opinion, I didn't like the under current nor how it appeared that he was under cutting us.
The palestinians don't figure in this. They made and make their own beds, let them lie in them.
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