http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/saudiarabia/ en-us Mon, 6 Jul 2009 12:32:24 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286412/posts Saudi Arabia has indicated to Israel that it would not protest use of its airspace by Israeli fighter jets in the event the government resolves to launch a military assault against Iran, according to a report which appeared in the British newspaper The Sunday Times. The Prime Minister's office issued a statement in response Sunday morning, saying that "the Sunday Times report is fundamentally false and completely baseless." According to The Sunday Times, Mossad chief Meir Dagan held secret meetings with Saudi officials, who gave their tacit approval to Israel's use of the kingdom's airspace. Advertisement "The Saudis have tacitly... Haaretz http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286412/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 12:32:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286253/posts WINNIPEG — Manitoba exported a cache of guns worth $1.2 million to Saudi Arabia last year, but the federal government won't say who sold them, who bought them, or what they were used for. According to international-trade data available on the Industry Canada website, Manitoba exported a total of $3.1 million in "arms and ammunition" to foreign countries last year. That could include anything from flame-throwers to shotgun cartridges to rocket-launchers, and it's double what the province exported in 2004. Except for Manitoba's guns, Canada sold virtually no other weapons or ammunition to Saudi Arabia last year. Ontario was the... .vancouversun http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286253/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 02:38:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286213/posts BEIRUT: Days after officials in Washington announced that a US ambassador would soon be sent to Syria, reports have emerged of an upcoming Syrian-Saudi Arabian summit to be held in Damascus that could include Lebanon. Conventional wisdom holds that any improvement in Syrian-Saudi ties generally contributes to increased stability in Lebanon, and according to experts on Levantine politics, Lebanon may already be benefiting from those nations' thawing ties and a revamped US policy in the region. "Any relief or stabilization in the Syrian-Saudi relationship will be positively reflected in the Lebanese political life," Chafik Masri, an international law professor at... Daily Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286213/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 01:29:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286062/posts Saudi Arabia would turn the other cheek and allow Israel to use its airspace to attack Iran, London’s Sunday Times reports. According to the report, Mossad chief Meir Dagan has told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that Syria has hinted to the move. “The Saudis have tacitly agreed to the Israel air force flying through their airspace on a mission which is supposed to be in the common interests of both Israel and Saudi Arabia,” a diplomatic source stated. Israel National News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286062/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 19:37:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286009/posts The head of Mossad, Israel’s overseas intelligence service, has assured Benjamin Netanyahu, its prime minister, that Saudi Arabia would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets flying over the kingdom during any future raid on Iran’s nuclear sites. Earlier this year Meir Dagan, Mossad’s director since 2002, held secret talks with Saudi officials to discuss the possibility. The Israeli press has already carried unconfirmed reports that high-ranking officials, including Ehud Olmert, the former prime minister, held meetings with Saudi colleagues. The reports were denied by Saudi officials. timesonline http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286009/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 17:49:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284161/posts A member of the Saudi royal family has called for the assets of his brother to be frozen. Prince Khaled bin Talal denounced his brother's media empire in an unprecedented public attack from within the ruling family.Prince Khaled accused Prince Walid bin Talal of disseminating vice and violating the rules of Islamic Sharia in the conservative kingdom. Prince Walid is one of the richest businessmen in the world.It has long been known that there is a split within the ranks of Saud family between liberals and conservatives. Prince Khaled said he had been forced to speak out after quiet efforts... BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284161/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 15:52:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282230/posts A member of the Saudi royal family has called for the assets of his brother to be frozen. Prince Khaled bin Talal denounced his brother's media empire in an unprecedented public attack from within the ruling family. Prince Khaled accused Prince Walid bin Talal of disseminating vice and violating the rules of Islamic Sharia in the conservative kingdom. Prince Walid is one of the richest businessmen in the world. It has long been known that there is a split within the ranks of Saud family between liberals and conservatives. But, until now, they have always managed to keep a lid... BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282230/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:31:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2281766/posts Here's a trivia question, what country has funded more Palestinian terrorism than any other country in the world? If you answered Saudi Arabia you win the "pink Camaro" Out of the five Arab League states that declared war against Israel in 1948 which is the only one still in an active state of war with the Jewish state? Here's a hint, the ruler has a funny beard that kind of looks like a Hitler mustache glued onto his chin sideways. OK last question. In what country are Jewish people not allowed to live, or even visit. Let's face it Saudi... IPT/the lid http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2281766/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:06:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1356414/posts From Gloucester to Afghanistan: the making of a shoe bomber Saajid Badat this week pleaded guilty to plotting to blow up a plane. What drove this quiet football fan to thoughts of terror? Mark Honigsbaum and Vikram Dodd Saturday March 5, 2005 The Guardian He seemed the model British Muslim citizen - a poster boy for integration whose knowledge of the Qu'ran and achievement at grammar school made Gloucester's close-knit Islamic community proud. When in November 2003 anti-terrorist police turned up at the terraced house in the Barton and Tredworth district of the city that Saajid Badat shared with his... Guardian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1356414/posts#comment Sat, 5 Mar 2005 04:07:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281117/posts Most commentary on the regional reaction to Iran's postelection strife divides Arabs into pro-Iranian and pro-American camps, a simplistic division that misses a key distinction. At the official or semiofficial level, Arab reaction to Iran's current travail is divided into three, not two, main parts: the usual handful of pro-Iranian-government actors (Syria, Hizballah, and Qatar); the surprisingly strident anti-Iranian-government stance from Saudi Arabia; and the large camp of cautious bystanders, including major actors like Egypt, which harbors a serious grudge against Tehran. Equally noteworthy is that caution, rather than reflexive support for either Iran or the street demonstrators, is also... Washington Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281117/posts#comment Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:04:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2280918/posts It's no secret that members of the Saudi royal family have provided extensive financial support to al Qaeda. But now, as Eric Lichtblau of the New York Times reports, thousands of pages of previously undisclosed documents provide a detailed look at this disgusting phenomenon. Powerline Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2280918/posts#comment Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:28:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280764/posts Using colourful bras donated by employees at Victoria's Secret, a group of 26 mostly Saudi women completed the first course of its kind to be offered in the kingdom – how to fit, stock and sell underwear. The training organisers hope will help boost a campaign to lift the ban on women selling underwear in the kingdom. The graduates held a small ceremony at a college in the western seaport of Jiddah this week, capping 40 hours of instruction during which they learned to overcome their embarrassment at doing bra fittings, deal with customer complaints and display the stock in... Telegraph (U.K.) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280764/posts#comment Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:13:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2278589/posts Official Believes Dog Belongs To Member Of MilitaryA "sweetheart" of a dog now in a California shelter may be really, really far from home. His microchip says the knee-high, light tan Saluki came from Saudi Arabia. The neutered male dog brought to a Carlsbad animal shelter last week has an implanted microchip that was sold to the U.S. Military Training Mission, headquartered in Riyadh, said Lt. Dan DeSousa of San Diego County's Animal Services Department. The dog was found June 15 near Escondido, about 30 miles north of San Diego. DeSousa said he believes someone in the military owns the... Click On Detroit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2278589/posts#comment Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:27:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2277641/posts The potential loss of tens of billions of dollars in damages is not what the Saudis fear most, should the Supreme Court allow this lawsuit to move forward. Way down in the Washington Times' article today about the Obama administration irking 9/11 families by asking the Supreme Court to deny their appeal of a ruling barring a lawsuit against Saudi princes was this gem: "A Justice Department spokesman said the administration held the meetings to hear from family members and declined to discuss details. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said that while he sympathized with the families, the State... 911FamiliesForAmerica.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2277641/posts#comment Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:06:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277589/posts Family members of the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks say they have been blindsided by the Obama administration's opposition to their lawsuit seeking damages from top members of the Saudi Arabian government over suspected financial links to the 9/11 attackers.,P. A series of closed-door meetings between the relatives' groups and Justice Department officials, arranged as an update on Mr. Obama's plan to close the detention facility at the U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, turned instead into a sharp clash over the Saudi legal action... "Physically, President Obama has done what previous presidents have done for a long time,... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277589/posts#comment Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:09:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277298/posts Cinema Comes To Riyadh for First Time in Decades By DONNA ABU-NASR | Associated Press | For the first time in three decades, Saudis in the nation's capital did something that most Westerners take for granted _ they went to the movies. But it wasn't exactly date night. No women were allowed. Newser.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277298/posts#comment Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:20:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274359/posts Saudi weighs Eurofighter, F-15 for new jet deal Reuters, Thursday June 18 2009 * Saudi Arabia steps up efforts to renew combat jet fleet * Saudi Arabia may double Eurofighter purchase - sources * Talks held with Boeing over more F-15s - sources By Tim Hepher and Andrea Shalal-Esa PARIS, June 18 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is stepping up efforts to acquire advanced fighter jets to renew its combat fleet amid growing security concerns in the Gulf region over Iran, two sources following the matter said on Thursday. Riyadh is in talks with Britain over possibly doubling a recent purchase... The Guardian UK http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274359/posts#comment Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:42:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271476/posts Yemeni authorities have arrested the financier of Al-Qaeda operations in the country and in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, an official said Sunday, as cited on the defence ministry news website. "The arrested man is named Hassan Hussein bin Alwan, a Saudi national, and he is the financier for attacks launched by Al-Qaeda organisation in Yemen and Saudi Arabia," the unnamed security official told September Net website. "He is considered one of the most dangerous members of Al-Qaeda," he added. AFP via Yahoo! News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271476/posts#comment Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:31:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270394/posts A Saudi princess has been sued over $126,000 in unpaid lingerie and clothing bills at a Paris boutique, AFP reported. Another upscale Paris store, lingerie store "Aux Caprices de Lily," told AFP Maha al-Sudairi, wife of Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, owes them $98,000. In total, the princess owes millions in unpaid shopping bills to a string of high-end Paris retailers. Foxnews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270394/posts#comment Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:48:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2270448/posts the administration is now nearing a deal with Saudi Arabia to take many of the 100 Yemini detainees who remain at Gitmo. Supposedly the Yeminis would enter one of the Saudi rehabilitation programs. Yemin has asked the U.S. for financial assistance to establish a rehabilitation program similar to that of the Saudi's but so far, the U.S. has resisted that option. What kind of sweetener are we adding to the deal? If we're giving Palau $200 million, what are we offering Saudi Arabia? Is throwing Israel under the bus part of the deal? Just askin'. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2270448/posts#comment Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:56:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269817/posts MANAMA, Bahrain -- Every weekend, bumper-to-bumper traffic blocks the causeway into this small island nation as visitors from nearby Saudi Arabia flock to delights unavailable at home: movie theaters, bars and, for some, commercial sex. With few other attractions, Bahrain's booming tourism industry thrives on the island's reputation as a freewheeling oasis just a short drive from major Saudi cities. Bahrain has little oil of its own; tourism, mostly by the four million Saudis who cross the causeway each year, accounts for a tenth of its economy. All of this is endangered, as Bahraini legislators press to scrap the country's... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269817/posts#comment Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:01:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2269693/posts Yesterday, I remarked that President Obama made a shrewd move in agreeing with the tiny Pacific island of Palau to have the Uighers be moved there. I also said that the Uighers were going to be the relatively easy decisions as far as the set of prisoners in GITMO. Well, it appears that as the decisions become more difficult, the plan is more dicey. Last night, it was first reported, that Yemen has agreed to have a significant portion of their ex pats sent to Saudi Arabia. The Provocateur http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2269693/posts#comment Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:38:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267175/posts Saudi Arabia may have nominated its first ever woman cabinet minister - but she cannot appear on television without permission, it has been revealed. Noura al-Faiz's appointment in February as deputy minister for women's education was hailed as a huge step for the integration of women in conservative Saudi Arabia, where a puritanical form of Islam bans women from driving, voting and mixing with unrelated men. 'I don't take my veil off and I will not appear on television unless it is allowed for us to do so,' Faiz told the daily Shamss, which published a picture of the deputy... Daily Mail (U.K.) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267175/posts#comment Mon, 8 Jun 2009 14:58:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2266949/posts RIYADH (Reuters) - King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has urged U.S. President Barack Obama to impose a solution on the festering Arab-Israeli conflict if necessary, a Saudi newspaper said on Sunday. Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2266949/posts#comment Mon, 8 Jun 2009 03:43:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2266902/posts JEDDAH: The June 4 speech at Cairo University by US President Barack Obama was watched widely in the Arab world, including the desert of Hail province where traffic virtually vanished during the address. According to a report in Asharq Alawsat daily, residents of Dhabi village gathered around TV screens to catch Obama’s words. “Obama’s speech caused the postponement of some of my appointments by request of my guests, relatives and friends, as well as some nearby Bedouin,” said Awad Khudair Al-Shammari, the owner of one of the few television sets in the area. Al-Shammari, who owns and breeds camels, said... Arab News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2266902/posts#comment Mon, 8 Jun 2009 02:16:08 GMT