Saudi Denies Airport Demand Report

AP | 4/28/02 | AP

[anniegetyourgun]

WASHINGTON- An adviser to Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah said Sunday that aides never asked that only male air traffic controllers guide Abdullah's flights during his visit to Texas.

Those reports are "a bad joke" and the request "absolutely did not happen," Saudi adviser Adel al-Jubeir said on "Fox News Sunday."

A manager for the company that operates the control tower at the airport in Waco, Texas, said a group of Saudis made the request to the airport manager, and that two male controllers guided the prince's flight to Houston, though a female tower manager was on the premises.

The Dallas Morning News reported Saturday that a Federal Aviation Administration employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Saudis' request was granted on portions of the prince's flights.

A FAA spokesman said Saturday he was unaware of any such request.

"We have several hundred aircraft that fly into the U.S. on diplomatic missions," al-Jubeir said. "We've never made a request like this. How America manages its air traffic control system is entirely up to it."

After flying into Waco to meet with President Bush at his Crawford ranch on Thursday, the prince flew to Houston, where he took a train to College Station to tour former President George Bush's presidential library the next day.

[anniegetyourgun]

But wait...this morning it was all Bush's fault....LOL!

[anniegetyourgun]

Your question is truly irrelevant to the article. Earlier today on FR you and others were convinced that Bush must have approved the removal of women from the air traffic tower. This, despite no evidence of such a ridiculous claim.

Listen, RTD, since you hate the Prez so much, you should be pleased to see him do all the things you like to claim he does. After all, if he's such a screw up , perhaps you'll get your guy elected in 2004.

[AzJP]

Bush knew? How on earth could you know that?

Or is there smoke coming out of your knickers?

[onedoug]

The House Of Saud is based on pathological lying. Bush is the leader we've got. Israel will defend itself.

Seemingly so simple....

[AzJP]

You really must have been raging when Kruschev came to DisneyLand.

[Dog Gone]

You're taking the Saudis' word for it?

Use your head. Was this one airport the only one used by the Saudis during this trip? Was it even the first airport? Where are the similar stories that would have come out of the Houston airport?

[LarryM]

Who are you going to believe, the airport employees at several airports or the Saudi dictator? It is obvious this order was given at the state level and didn't come from DC. It is just as obvious that Bush will do whatever it takes to appease the Saudi dictator. Abdullah is even staying an extra day since things are going so well for him. Bush has jettisoned his principles because he is too afraid to confront our enemies. He'll always have his blind supporters who'll attempt to spin every capitulation as a victory.

[Allegra]

Here come the Democrats. Posts like this always bring them out in droves.

[SKempis]

I don't think Bush knew, but I'd believe the very detailed stories of the flight controllers over a denial by these yahoos any day.

[Dog Gone]

The flight controllers never spoke to any Saudis. Any information they had was third hand, at best.

[AzJP]

That's the problem, we've only directly heard from two desk jockeys and one anonymous FAA employee. We have heard from other FAA folks saying they heard it from someone else who heard it from someone who heard it from............pretty soon we'll be in snopes.com!

[w1andsodidwe]

Did 15 Russian citizens ever commit mass murder on US soil?

I'm sure that if they had, you would find that to be President Bush's fault too.

[AzJP]

I have no idea.
Are you suggesting that ALL the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi nationals? If so, are you then suggesting that Saudi royalty endorses EVERYTHING that any Saudi national does?

If your opinion of how Saudis treat Americans in country is based on your personal experience over there, my condolences. Each time I was there I was not treated as a disease. If you were, I wonder why?