Saudis are our enemy, Pentagon group warned

Capital Hill BLue ^ | August 6, 2002 | Various sources?

[Stand Watch Listen]

At a classified briefing last month , a top Pentagon advisory panel was told Saudi Arabia is an enemy to the United States and a backer of terrorism.

"The Saudis are active at every level of the terror chain, from planners to financiers, from cadre to foot-soldier, from ideologist to cheerleader," stated the briefing prepared by Laurent Murawiec, a Rand Corporation analyst.

The briefing was presented on July 10 to the Defense Policy Board, a group of prominent intellectuals and former senior officials that advises the Pentagon on defense policy, the report said, adding that it appeared to be linked to the growing debate over how to drive Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq.

"Saudi Arabia supports our enemies and attacks our allies," Murawiec was quoted as saying in the briefing.
He also urged the United States to demand that Riyadh stop funding fundamentalist Islamic outlets around the world, stop all anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli statements in the country."

The briefing urged U.S. officials to target Saudi oil fields and overseas financial assets if the Saudis refused to comply.

Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke says neither the briefing nor the advisory board represented the views of the U.S. government.

"Neither the presentations nor the Defense Policy Board members' comments reflect the official views of the department," Clarke said. "Saudi Arabia is a long-standing friend and ally of the United States. The Saudis cooperate fully in the global war on terrorism and have the department's and the administration's deep appreciation."

The Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, says he did not take the briefing seriously. "I think that it is a misguided effort that is shallow and not honest about the facts," he said. "Repeating lies will never make them facts."

Members of the Defense Policy Board include former vice president Dan Quayle; former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; former defense secretaries James Schlesinger and Harold Brown; former House speakers Newt Gingrich and Thomas Foley; and several retired senior military officers.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

CAUSE AND EFFECT

[EternalVigilance]

Wow.

[eureka!]

"The briefing urged U.S. officials to target Saudi oil fields and overseas financial assets if the Saudis refused to comply."

Perchance, to dream....

[sheik yerbouty]

The dream is far from impossible!

[eureka!]

Let's hope not...

[cactusSharp]

this thread is all over but the story is pure BS
Barbra Streisand....Rummy,on c-span(ing for dems)
said a Rand McNally pitch man mentioned it in a
top secret metting to an armchair full of HUH ?
responses...added it was no more true and was pizzed
it leaked from a top security mtg and that is was
printed as a truth by well....you know

[tm22721]

The rhetoric is building toward war.

Let's see if we can whip the American people into a seething froth of retribution.

Works every time.

BUMP

[eureka!]

Hmmmm...

[tanknetter]

The dream is far from impossible!

Something to consider ... what if all the war talk about Iraq (and to a lesser extent, Iran - which is where my speculation has been) is just a feint to draw attention from the REAL target: Saudi Arabia.

See the story (with pictures) in the NY Post this morning about the base expansions in Qatar and Kuwait? They are PERFECTLY positioned to act as staging areas for an invasion of Saudi Arabia ... with the intent of seizing the oil fields, digging in for a defensive fight and then letting the enemy come to us.

Most of the 9-11 hijackers were Saudis, and there has been enough speculation to conclude that there is at least a circumstantial case that the House of Saud played some role (even just in looking the other way) in al Qaeda and 9-11. What if the Bush Administration has hard evidence of direct support and involvement?

[Billthedrill]

The leak is more significant than the story, which is simply a briefing and not anyone's official opinion. Kissinger was supposedly present and is said to have dissented. But who gave this to the press, and why, are the questions in my mind - it is possible that this is Bush's means of influencing the current internecine warfare going on in the royal family or possibly simply a means of putting whichever faction comes out on top on notice that the U.S. government isn't going to put up with the status quo.

[sakic]

Bush ain't going after his friends, the Sauds. After all, they only killed a couple thousand on 9/11 and pay for Palestinians to kill Americans in Israel. That would be the right thing to do so we can pretty much rule that out.

He'll go after Saddam instead to boost his ratings when they begin to slip if the stock market continues to tank.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Rumsfeld calls report criticizing Saudi Arabia 'clearly harmful'
Associated Press | August 7, 2002


Posted on 08/06/2002 12:03 PM Eastern by HAL9000



(Pentagon-AP) -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says it's "clearly harmful'' to make public a report criticizing Saudi Arabia.
Rumsfeld says the report doesn't reflect the views of the U-S government -- nor he adds -- even the Defense Policy Board.

He explains the report was prepared by the Rand Corporation and presented to a closed meeting of the defense group, which includes former government officials and experts.

The report claims the Saudis are active at every level of the terror chain. And it says the kingdom is America's "most dangerous opponent'' in the Mideast.

Rumsfeld says Saudi Arabia reflects a "broad spectrum of opinions.'' And he notes the kingdom is wrestling with a number of issues, including the fact that many of the September eleventh hijackers came from Saudi Arabia.

The defense secretary's harshest comments were aimed at those responsible for leaking the report. He says this probably came from someone who wanted to appear important.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) </blockquote