Saudis Demand that the US Release Most of the Terrorists Held in Cuba.

CBS News - Saudis Want Detainees Turned Over ^ | Mon, 28 Jan 2002 20:25:04 EST -- BREAKING! | Editorial Staff

[vannrox]

Saudis Want Detainees Turned Over

Saudi Minister: Over 100 Saudis Being Held At Guantanamo Bay

Jan. 28, 2002

Shackled Taliban and al-Qaida prisoners in orange jumpsuits, sit in holding area.

(CBS) So far, U.S. officials have steadfastly refused to identity by name or nationality the 158 men locked up at the American Naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But Monday, Saudi Arabia claimed that nearly two-thirds of them were Saudi citizens – and the Saudis want them back, reports CBS News Correspondent Jim Stewart.

Although acknowledging that the men were captured during fighting inside Afghanistan, Interior Minister Prince Nayef told reporters, "The issue of prisoners is important to us and we ask that they be handed over to us so we can interrogate them."

But they're important to us, too, responded President Bush, who met at the White House with the new leader of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai.

"We'll make a decision on a case-by-case basis as to whether they go back to Saudi Arabia or not. I appreciate his suggestion," said Mr. Bush.

And Pentagon officials made it clear they're in no hurry to return the Saudis.

"We have no desire to hold on to large numbers of detainees of any kind for any great length of time. But we want to make sure these people are not back out on the streets," said Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke.

She said the nationalities of all the prisoners' had not yet been determined. U.S. officials have said they are considering sending some of the prisoners to their homelands on condition their governments punish them. Some may be tried by the United States for alleged involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks and other terrorism.

Asked about handing over Saudi citizens, Clarke said prisoners would be repatriated to "those countries that we feel will handle them appropriately."

Saudi Arabia, a close U.S. ally in the Middle East, has come under criticism in the United States from some who say the Saudi government has done too little to crack down on terrorists and extremists within its borders.

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers of the passenger jets that crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11 were Saudis, according to U.S. officials. Saudi officials insist no Saudi involvement has been proven. Osama bin Laden, whose al-Qaida terror network is accused in the Sept. 11 attacks, was a Saudi national until his citizenship was revoked in the 1990s.

Saudi Arabia's southern neighbor, Yemen, has said it was also seeking information from the United States on 17 of its nationals it says are being held at the Guantanamo base.

At the White House, meanwhile, Mr. Bush said he is weighing legal questions on whether the Geneva Convention applies to the 158 suspected terrorists being held in Cuba. He pledged to treat them humanely, but said: "These are killers."

Mr. Bush and his national security advisers failed to resolve the issue at a Monday morning meeting, but said they agree that the detainees will not be considered prisoners of war, which could confer on them an array of rights.

"We are not going to call them prisoners of war," said Mr. Bush, who three times called them "prisoners" and then corrected himself to refer to them as "detainees."

"And the reason why is al-Qaida is not a known military," Mr. Bush said. "These are killers, these are terrorists, they know no countries. The only thing they know about country is when they find a country that's been weakened and they want to occupy it like a parasite."

Mr. Bush said he will listen to "all the legalisms, and announce my decision when I make it."

Some in the administration argue that the convention should apply. Others, including Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, believe that whether it applies is irrelevant because the al-Qaida and Taliban prisoners are "unlawful combatants" and therefore not deserving of prisoner-of-war status.

Regardless of the outcome of the debate over the Geneva Convention, the president and his national security aides are agreed that the prisoners are not POWs.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Mr. Bush's team agrees that the "core principles" of the convention should be observed, including providing food and medicine to the detainees. However, the national security team is split on whether the detainees are covered under the full weight of the Geneva Conventions, Fleischer said.

He said the conventions must be "interpreted in a modern light," now that the country is at war with terrorists. He added that the detainees were "lucky to be in the custody of our military because they're receiving three square meals a day."

"They're receiving health care that they've never received before, their sleeping conditions are probably better than anything they've had in Afghanistan, and they're being treated well because they're in the hands of the men and women of our military, and they're being treated well because that's what Americans do," Fleischer said.

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[mrustow]

" I appreciate his [Saudi prince's] suggestion," said Mr. Bush.

I love it! DC-speak for FU!

I'll bet he had to suppress a smirk, a chuckle, a chortle and an extended belly-laugh, in that order, when he said it!

[goodnesswins]

Boy....I do hope my blond haired brother has left Saudi now - better email my sister-in-law, NOW.

[No Truce With Kings]

then OBL/al-qaeda can declare victory.

Yeah, just like all the times they declared victory in Afghanistan.

If we did leave the Kingdom, one of two things would happen.

1. Iraq would move into the vaccuum.

2. Al-Qaeda would move into the vaccuum.

Both are good things. (1) would give us an excuse to move into Iraq and clean up Hussain. If we are smart (and Bush is), we start from the north and move south. Save the liberation of Saudi Arabia for last, so that the princes get a chance to really appreciate the magnitude of their decision to kick us out. (2) would give us an opportunity for "Afghanistan II -- The Kingdom." The House of Saud is not the only faction in Saudi Arabia. For that matter, we could maneuver things so the Hashimites rule again, as they did through most of the 19th century.

What everyone is hinky about is Saudi oil. Guess what? This ain't the '70s. The world economy is slack. Demand for oil is low. Further, Russia, Mexico, and Indonesia have slack production, and need money. Oil might bounce to $20/bbl, but no higher. Russia would win. Mexico would win (and it would ease calls for open borders). Indonesia would win. So would the North Sea producers. All of those folks are on our side -- much more so than the Saudis.

Let our friends win. Let the Saudis learn a lesson. Every other nation would draw their own conclusions, and be less willing to mess with us afterwards.

[texson66]

Tell the Saudis to osculate my immense, conservative Glutumas Maximus!!!

[mrustow]

Wait a minute. Aren't these the same guys who said it was the Jews who attacked us on 911? And (within Saudi) that suicide bombing does not violate the Shari'a (Islamic law)? And how do they know that so many of the terrorists are Saudis? And since when does a country claiming to be another nation's ally, demand that terrorist nationals which attacked its ally, and which were taken prisoner, be immediately "returned"?

You can bet, that if the tables were turned, the Saudis wouldn't be returning any American prisoners ... alive.

[onedoug]

Next target?....

[Torie]

If it were me, I would assure them that their remains will be forwarded in due course.

[texson66]

Well, hell...We'll just freeze their damn assets too!!!!

BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

My apologies to Recovering_Democrat

[gfactor]

If we did leave the Kingdom, one of two things would happen. 1. Iraq would move into the vaccuum. 2. Al-Qaeda would move into the vaccuum.

neither would happen. several thousand US servicemen being physically present in saudi are not whats keeping them from coming in. it certainly wouldn't create a vacuum either -- its not like we'll stop selling arms to the saudi's.

[Go Gordon]

That means, either this report is wrong, or the Saudis are trying to provoke a showdown between the countries as a pretext for having American troops leave the country.

It means the Saudi's are worried about haj. So they put this out for public consumption in the hope that the 2 million diaper heads heading to Mecca, don't stop off at the Royal palaces for a visit.

[No Truce With Kings]

BE ADVISED THAT THE SAUDI'S MAY MOVE THEIR FINANCIAL ASSETS OUT OF WESTERN BANKS.

There is something funny about both oil and money -- you cannot eat either. You cannot drink either. You can only trade those things for other things that you want.

If the Saudis want to pull their assets out of Western banks, then they have to put their money under a mattress. It does not get them anything there.

Look at their alternatives. They could invest the money in China -- that might be easier to do than to get out of, like the Iraqi jets flown to Iran for "safe keeping" at the beginning of the Gulf War. They could invest them in Arab banks, trading unneeded currency back and forth. They could put them in Russian banks, where the Russian mafia will show them a thing or two about creative financing. Possibly they could put the money in Japan, which would invest it in the west, and keep a finder's fee for each transaction.

I know! They will invest their money in Sub-Saharan Africa. Black ivory!

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Like Saudi is in a position to demand anything. Those dumb bastards have one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel, just like Iraq.

[GRRRRR]

Yeah, BOTH CHEEKS and with a SMILE please!

GRRRRRRRRollin'

[mrustow]

Saudi Arabia, a close U.S. ally in the Middle East,

Correction: Saudi Arabia, a former U.S. ally in the Middle East,

[a_witness]

This is actually good news. I think it means that one or more of the detainees is/are "in fact" important to them. I hope the interrogaters can find him or them and find out why they're important.

Precisely

[rightofrush]

Saudia Arabia is a make believe country. I see the whole peninsula as the 51st state. We could call it Exxon (the sign of the double cross).

[clintonh8r]

Memo to Prince Nayef:

Face the east and bend over.

[IronJack]

We'll return the Saudi nationals as soon as you restore the 5,000 killed by Saudi nationals.

We're waiting ...

[Johnny_Apollo]

I think there's no argument that we should send them back. The argument is whether we send them back with 200 pounds of high explosives stuffed up their asses, or do we send them back with a bellyfull of anthrax. HA!