Posted on 07/20/2005 6:51:39 AM PDT by pitinkie
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Saudi Arabia's long serving ambassador to Washington has been replaced, a foreign ministry official said Wednesday.
Prince Bandar bin Sultan, a Washington insider who has held the post for 20 years, asked to be relieved of his post a month ago, the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, because an official announcement has not yet been made.
The official said the new ambassador is Prince Turk al-Faisal, another member of the Saudi royal family who had served as the kingdom's ambassador to Britain. Al-Faisal also served as the head of the Saudi Arabia's intelligence.
Saudi Arabia has been a close Arab ally of the United States for more than 50 years and the kingdom's ambassador to Washington is a job that carries significant weight and is at the center of the oil-rich kingdom's foreign policy.
"Saudi Arabia has been a close Arab ally of the United States for more than 50 years"
Maybe it's just me, but is there a connection here? Leave up to the Associated Press (Al-Jezeera West), to not draw a connection between these two statements. Idiots.
I hope he can help us validate the coordinates of Mecca for future reference.
Yes...I am not too sure about this guy though!
It's going to be interesting to see what job Bandar takes when he goes home. This is a facinating move but we won't know what it means until we see if Bandar actually goes home or if he remains here in the US. If he goes home, there could be some exceptionally big things in store for him.
Prince Bandar has been a positive influence on US-Saudi relations and can be expected to continue to play a significant role. He has always been on a fast track and his next position will be of significance.
Prince Turk(i) is also a great choice for ambassador and will support positive US-Saudi relations.
Let's recognize that there are leading Saudi's that support the US and its okay for us to positive about them.
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