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US fears Saudi, Iran proxy war over bones of Iraq; Bandar urged no US talks with Iran
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Dec 15, 2006 10:40 pm
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WASHINGTON (AFP): The specter of a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran over the bones of a shattered Iraq is being conjured up by veiled warnings the kingdom may bankroll Sunni fighters if US troops go home. Apparent Saudi anxiety over US intentions — the idea of which is rejected publicly by US and Saudi officials — coincides with President George W. Bush’s quest for a new strategy to end carnage in Iraq. Coupled with the sudden resignation of Saudi ambassador to Washington, Prince Turki al-Faisal, talk of frays in the crucial Saudi-US alliance have sent intrigue rippling through Washington.
“We may be on the verge of a Saudi intervention in Iraq on behalf of their (Sunni) kin, we may be on the verge of a proxy war,” said Chas Freeman, former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Fears of such a scenario intensified after the New York Times reported Tuesday Riyadh may bankroll Iraq’s Sunnis against Iran-backed Shiites, should US troops retreat and leave a raging civil war. While Saudi pressure may be just a shot across US bows, it has filtered out in public at a time when Iraq’s future dominates the political agenda here.
One option kicked around by policy analysts would have the United States adopt classic military doctrine and back the side likely to win a civil war.
But tacit US support for Shiites aimed at crushing the Sunni insurgency, may make strategic sense, but contains several flaws: among them, the likelihood it would alienate US Sunni allies in the Gulf, including the Saudis.
“If there is a policy of that sort, the Saudis will be on the other side,” said Freeman, adding Saudi riches could help Sunni forces to heavy weaponry and mobility they currently lack.
Outside states have little option but to look to the future of an Iraq not propped up by the United States, said James Dobbins, a former senior State Department official.
“They can’t afford not to become engaged, they are the nations that are going to have the consequences of a failed state on their doorstep.”
Saudi King Abdullah has reportedly faced pressure from the public and hardline clerics to bolster Sunnis in Iraq, and a US lean towards Shiites would exacerbate the problem.
“If you are a Saudi you will be really concerned about that,” said Michael Hudson, professor of Arab Studies at Georgetown University.
Sectarian slaughter in post-occupation Iraq would leave Saudi Arabia no option but to intervene, experts said.
“Saudi Arabia and for that matter Jordan are not prepared to acquiese in what they would see as an Iranian domination of Iraq or in the decimation of their kin,” said Freeman.
Possible consequences for the United States of such an estrangement could bite deep into military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Freeman said.
“If Saudi Arabia is on this side and we are on that side, how much do you want to bet Saudis are going to allow overflights of their territory?” he said.
The latest flurry of Saudi speculation was set off by a Washington Post article last month, by Nawaf Obaid, then a private advisor to Prince Turki.
His warning of “massive Saudi intervention to stop Iranian-backed Shiite militias from butchering Iraqi Sunnis” should US forces begin a withdrawal from Iraq jolted the foreign policy community here.
The article was later disowned by the Saudi government, but by then concern over Saudi sentiments was rife, especially as the piece appeared days after Vice President dick Cheney’s unexpected trip to Riyadh, which several reports say amounted to a dressing down by the King.
Senior US officials deny they have received any warning from Riyadh. The Saudi embassy in Washington said it had no comment.
Bush pointedly went out of his way to state Saudi Arabia was committed to a unity government in Iraq during a Pentagon meeting on Wednesday.
“We’re working hard with them to figure out a strategy to help the Maliki government succeed,” he said, referring to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
But Obaid’s words are still reverberating here.
“To turn a blind eye to the massacre of Iraqi Sunnis would be to abandon the principles upon which the kingdom was founded.
“To be sure, Saudi engagement in Iraq carries great risks — it could spark a regional war. So be it: The consequences of inaction are far worse.”
The US State Department said Thursday Saudi Arabia’s former ambassador here recently visited Washington, adding spice to reports he was involved in a power struggle which caused his successor to quit.
Prince Bandar bin Sultan, was the kingdom’s top envoy to the United States for 22 years until 2004. The Washington Post reported Thursday he was in the US capital recently to counsel top officials against heeding mounting calls for talks with Iran or Syria.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack reluctantly confirmed Prince Bandar met Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, when pressed by reporters, but refused to divulge the substance of their conversation.
“I can’t tell you the last time that he and the secretary met,” McCormack said. “I’m sure that it’s been within the past several weeks, but I can’t tell you exactly when.”
The Post quoted diplomats as saying many Saudis believed Syria had betrayed the Arab world by leaning closer to Iran in recent months.
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sometimes.......
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Dec 15, 2006 8:10 pm
177 Views
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Sometimes...
when you cry...
no one sees your tears.
Sometimes...
when you are in pain...
no one sees your hurt.
Sometimes...
when you are worried...
no one sees your stress.
Sometimes...
when you are happy...
no one sees your smile.
But FART!! just ONE time...
And Everybody Knows!!
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man and woman
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Dec 15, 2006 7:53 pm
186 Views
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A man's as old as he's feeling, A woman as old as she looks
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Women are more verbal than men.
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Dec 15, 2006 8:03 am
241 Views
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"Women are more verbal than men. That's why when you see an elderly couple together, it's always the man who has the hearing aid." --Jeff Stilson
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women......
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Dec 15, 2006 3:24 am
206 Views
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If women didn't exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning.
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in politic....
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Dec 15, 2006 3:18 am
204 Views
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In politics if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman.
Margaret Thatcher
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Nine-day Eid holidays
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Dec 14, 2006 1:40 am
214 Views
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KUWAIT:
Eid Al-Adha holidays will total nine days, So the holiday run from Thu Dec 28, 2006 to Fri Jan 2007 and offices will be open for work on Sat Jan 7, 2007.
Let's go party  
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naughty mad MAX
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Dec 14, 2006 1:15 am
200 Views
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Mad Max’ held in hot chase: The Traffic Police have arrested a Kuwaiti man better known as ‘Mad Max’ who is wanted in connection with 25 traffic offences — reckless driving, jumping the red traffic lights and escaping from police, reports Al-Watan daily. A security source said the man was chased by police on several occasions over the past three months and each time he managed to give a slip to the cops. He was always seen driving a sports car without a number plate. The same source said an unidentified person called the police when he saw ‘Mad Max’ driving the same sports car on Damascus Street. Police allegedly closed all exits and arrested him. During investigation it was discovered the man had been sentenced in absentia for failing to pay KD 8,000 to an unidentified person.
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US military chiefs urge shift in Iraq war
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Dec 14, 2006 12:43 am
200 Views
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WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff are recommending a shift in the military focus in Iraq from battling insurgents to strengthening Iraqi forces along with a new emphasis on resolving political and economic issues, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.
Citing sources familiar with the White House Iraq policy review, the report said the top defense officials gave their assessment of what the military can and cannot do in Iraq during a meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush at the Pentagon on Wednesday.
The military chiefs do not favor a troop buildup in Iraq but see supporting and strengthening the Iraqi army as pivotal to stabilization, the Post said, citing sources familiar with the officials' thinking.
The chiefs were also pressing for a much greater U.S. effort on political reconciliation and economic reconstruction, especially new jobs programs, the report said.
A spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff was not immediately reachable for comment.
Facing growing pressure to shift war strategy, Bush has been reviewing Iraq policy with senior U.S. officials and outside experts.
The bipartisan Iraq Study Group, lead by former Secretary of State James Baker and former congressman Lee Hamilton, last week recommended that the administration accelerate training of Iraqi forces and pull back U.S. combat troops by early 2008.
Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, was reviewing a plan calling for U.S. troops to pull out of Iraqi cities to a handful of U.S. bases and turn over day-to-day combat duty to the Iraqi army, The Washington Post reported.
Citing sources it did not identify, the report said Casey was still considering whether to request more troops, possibly as part of an expanded training mission to help strengthen the Iraqi army.
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Communists vow to step up attacks in Philippines
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Dec 14, 2006 12:34 am
205 Views
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MANILA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Philippine communist guerrillas vowed to step up attacks on government security forces outside the capital to coincide with protests against attempts to alter the political system, a rebel spokesman said late on Wednesday.
The New People's Army (NPA) said it had ordered its members to attack army and police units in the next few days when hundreds of thousands of people are expected to protest against a bid by allies of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to change the constitution.
Opposition from powerful religious groups forced the lower house of Congress to abandon attempts this week to alter the charter and shift the country to a parliamentary system, which critics saw as an attempt to extend Arroyo's powers.
But influential Roman Catholic bishops and other religious groups will proceed with nationwide prayer rallies on Friday and a large gathering in Manila's main park on Sunday to highlight their outrage.
"The NPA joins and further underscores the widespread Filipino people's resistance," Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal, spokesman of the Communist Party of the Philippines, said in a statement.
Earlier this week, the head of the military, General Hermogenes Esperon, warned communist saboteurs may provoke violence during the protest and prayer rally in Manila, then blame soldiers and police officers for any resulting confrontation.
The army has rejected calls for a unilateral truce with Muslim militants and communist rebels during the Christmas holidays and instead sent more troops to step up offensives in the countryside to disrupt any plans to bomb cities.
Last week, four embassies in Manila -- the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand -- issued fresh travel warnings due to potential terrorist attacks in the Philippines.
Manila postponed a gathering of 16 Asian leaders this week, moving it to early January 2007, partly due to fears of bomb plots and political unrest in the capital, security officials said.
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To link to this blog (celia2005) use [blog celia2005] in your messages.
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