Saudi king blasts 'illegitimate occupation' of Iraq

Midle East Online ^ | Lydia Georgi

[saganite]

Saudi King Abdullah, whose country is a close US ally, on Wednesday slammed the "illegitimate foreign occupation" of Iraq in an opening speech to the annual Arab summit in Riyadh.

"In beloved Iraq, blood is being shed among brothers in the shadow of an illegitimate foreign occupation, and ugly sectarianism threatens civil war," Abdullah said.

He also said that Arab nations, which are planning to revive a five-year-old Middle East peace plan at the summit, would not allow any foreign force to decide the future of the region.

In the past, Saudi leaders including Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal have often criticised US policy in Iraq but have never described its presence there as "illegitimate."

If Arab leaders recover trust in each other and regain their credibility, "the winds of hope will blow on the nation, and then, we will not allow forces from outside the region to determine the future of the region, and only the flag of Arabism will be raised on Arab soil," Abdullah said.

Arab foreign ministers meeting ahead of the summit agreed on Monday to call for an amendment of Iraq's 2005 constitution to give Sunni Arabs a greater share of power in the war-ravaged country and prevent its breakup.

But Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari responded by saying the government did not need a "diktat" from the Arabs on how to amend its constitution and boost national reconciliation.

The Iraqi government has initiated moves to review a de-Baathification law in a bid to woo former members of the regime of executed dictator Saddam Hussein back into politics and government jobs.

Under a controversial de-Baathification law, tens of thousands of members of Iraq's former ruling Baath party were stripped of their posts in government, at universities and in business after the 2003 US-led invasion.

The law has been a major source of grievance for the minority Sunnis, who have waged a deadly insurgency against US troops and the Shiite-led American-backed government in Baghdad.

Iraq's once-ruling Sunnis also want an amendment of the constitution, which they fear leaves their central regions without natural resources and Iraq's oil wealth in the hands of the governing Shiites and the autonomous Kurds.

[mugs99]

the Saud family had no knowledge of the 11 Saudi hijackers
ROFL!!!
.

[FixitGuy]

Apart from the oil, why we are friends with these people is beyond me."

We will kiss some major a$$ for oil....

Even closing our eyes to the ones who really caused th 9/11 murders.

We're still kissing their butts even though they have an education system that ensures they will seek to kill us 'til the end of time.

[HaveHadEnough]

"the Saud family had no knowledge of the 11 Saudi hijackers"

How can you know this?

[spacewarp]

He's absolutely right that there's an illegal foriegn occupation army in Iraq. And the Iranians and Syrians and Saudis need to get out before the legitimate occupation army finishes destroying them.

Paul

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

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..................

Bush's Royal Trouble

[Lee'sGhost]

OK, which one of you guys gave King Pharthead the DNC talking points?

[andy58-in-nh]

The Saudi royal family has been the primary funding source for Wahhabist schools (madrassas) and mosques that have been cranking out terrorists and exporters of terrorism for thirty years.

[montag813]

"In beloved Iraq

"Beloved"? When have this fat Saudis ever lifted a finger to help. Just like their platitudes about the "Palestinians" while those Arabs sit in refugee camps in Gaza. The Wahhabis like their "beloved brothers" to experience squalor and death, so they can use them as pawns against the West.

[LM_Guy]

The middle-east countries are now starting to turn against the USA, it looks like Al-Qaeda strategy in Iraq has worked.

[Wuli]

"Saudi king blasts 'illegitimate occupation' of Iraq"

The west should get a moral spine and blast the "illegitimate" occupation of Saudi Arabia, by the house of Saud, whose rulers, above any interest of the people, were simply handed a kingdom by the British; and thus they truly possess far less moral or political legitimacy for their position than do the leaders of Israel.

[af_vet_rr]

Everybody calm down, take a deep breath. The Saudis are our best friends and allies in the Gulf. Don't listen to what the Saudi King says, or about those who point out the makeup of the majority of 9/11 attackers.

President Bush has reassured us time and again that Saudi Arabia is our bestest friend in the whole Arab world, so we should just relax.

Right?

[af_vet_rr]

Saudis are highly attuned to US politics. They recognize the way the Democrat winds are blowing and are adjusting their policy accordingly.

Hardly - the Saudis have said many a negative thing about the US, Americans, and Christians going back to well before 9/11 and even before the first Gulf War. The Saudis have been anti-Israel for decades and have funneled plenty of money into groups that would do Israel and America harm.

I've been to Saudi Arabia a couple of times, both with the Air Force, and with private companies, and was not impressed. They used to freak out if they saw American troops with Bibles, crosses, etc., and go complaining up the chain of command. Here we were with 100s of thousands of troops, ready to go to war with Iraq to liberate Kuwait, and more importantly, to secure Saudi Arabia, and they felt the need to suppress the religious beliefs of those who might very well be dying to protect Saudi Arabia in the near future.

I disagree with Bush (both of them) on several things, but the love they display for the Saudis would be at the top of my list, in things that disgust me. Whenever the current President Bush would talk about how they are our staunch ally in the war on terror, I wonder how he could keep a straight face, because the Saudis openly donate to terrorist organizations and he damn well knew it.

[wildbill]

I didn't say the Saudis were 100% behind the US policies in the region. They have always been against Israel although without giving much more than lip service and some money to the crazies to keep them off the Saudi backs.

But outright opposition in the form of calling our Iraq incursion 'illigitimate' is a complete somersault from a country that was deathly afraid of Saddam and wanted us to go in there and topple him.

They are now scared of Iran and see us as faithless allies without the intestinal fortitude to maintain our own interests in the region. They can read history and compare the Democrats' policies of cut and run then with their same pacifist and partisan notions now.

'Reality politics' is what most countries use to guide their forign policy. We are guided by the Dems and the MSM to use their partisan wishful thinking.

[glorgau]

Our friends the Saudis.

[af_vet_rr]

They are now scared of Iran and see us as faithless allies without the intestinal fortitude to maintain our own interests in the region. They can read history and compare the Democrats' policies of cut and run then with their same pacifist and partisan notions now.

I think the royalty is more scared of internal dissent than it is of Iran. They know we won't let Iran harm Saudi Arabia, however they also know that we wouldn't get involved in a Saudi civil war.

I don't think the Democrats have much, if anything to do with it - I think the Saudi royalty is finally reaping what they've sewn - keep in mind there have been some very high profile incidents involving militants in Saudi Arabia, that were intent on attacking Saudi royalty.

Also remember - King Abdullah is pushing 85 years old - when he kicks the bucket, there could be a power struggle, and the radicals would probably love to overthrow him in favor of somebody more to their liking. I have a feeling he's reaching out to them with what he's saying, as well as to other Sunnis who would support he and his family.

[MEGoody]

We ought to tell the Saudi King to either:

1. get his own army together because we won't be protecting him against the Muslim neighbors that would love nothing more than to overthrow him, or

2. Publically retract his comments.

[nepppen]

He is afraid his people will get a sip of the democracy and capitalism cocktail.

[Rottweilerson]

"After 9/11, certain people (like Rudy Giuliani) stirred up anti-Saudi sentiments in the US."

After September 11, The Saudi Prince, Alwaleed bin Talal, offered New York City Mayor Rudi Giuliani $10 million to assist the victims of the attack. In presenting Giuliani with the check, bin Talal made sure to place the blame for the attacks on U.S. support of Israel. Giuliani did the right thing & returned the money. Guess who asked for the money afterward? Cynthia McKinney.

I would put the blame for anti-Saudi sentiments in the US where it belongs. On the Saudis.

[batvette]

Petrodollars. Check it out.

http://zmagsite.zmag.org/Feb2004/sharma0204.html

I believe it is the key to everything. We do owe the royal family bigtime.

It is also why I believe Bush knows exactly what he is doing in Iraq and we are not losing to a bunch of third world fanatics.

Our mission in Iraq, is simply to be, in Iraq.

Had we secured it the left and the UN would demand we have no presence, thus freeing the Iraqis to open the old contracts with Lukoil and TotalFinaElf. Since Iran and Venezuela hate our guts anyway, the resulting shift making Russia the world's #1 oil exporter, and a consolodated Euro based world supply- would have a catastrauphic selloff of dollar assets worldwide.

Interestingly enough this is the five year anniversary of Saddam trying to launch this whole scheme he'd gamed, using the terrorist bounties.

this story tells about that:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/04/03/wmid303.xml

[batvette]

I think we all need to take a deep breath, step back and remember- saying "the Saudis" is a lot like them saying "the Americans". We have both good friends and complete jacka$$ enemies in KSA. I think they are possibly doing as they did after 9/11 when they asked us to leave and we found ourselves unable to patrol the no fly zone from Saudi airfields- and even more bizarre, betrothen to protect the royal family but not have our forces on KSA soil doing it.
Every President since before Carter had to be cozy with them, they were the catalyst which broke the soviet's back financially by flooding the market of world petroleum supplies. (interesting when Clinton's former FBI head told all I was wringing my hands hoping we'd get the SOB for more than the charges we'd had before- then realized quickly the library endowment was a customary gift that would be an insult to refuse)
It's the opening of the Arab summit. Perhaps just talk of distancing themselves from us to appease the home front.
Some of the leftist sites are gloating at this as Bush's failure- yet it's been them pounding, pounding the message to the world for four years about an illegal war of agression. Idiots! I hope they are happy with THEIR handiwork, for the middle east the leaders are surely trying to appease discount the original mission of disarming Saddam and the promise of a better future for all thanks to their lies.
Is it liberal season yet? Where do I buy tags?