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Report: Briefing to senior Pentagon advisory board describes
Saudi Arabia as śU.S. enemyť
06-08-2002, 07:10
A briefing given last month to a senior Pentagon advisory board
described Saudi Arabia as an śenemyť of the United States, and
recommended that U.S. officials give it an ultimatum to stop
backing terrorism or face seizure of its oil fields and its financial
assets invested in the United States.
"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, according to The Washington
Post. It was presented on July 10 to the Defense Policy Board, a
group of leading intellectuals and former top officials that advises
the Pentagon on defense policy.
"Saudi Arabia supports our enemies and attacks our allies," said
the briefing prepared by Laurent Murawiec, a Rand Corp. analyst,
the newspaper reported on Tuesday. A talking point attached to
the last of 24 briefing slides went even further, describing Saudi
Arabia as "the kernel of evil, the prime mover, the most dangerous
opponent" in the Middle East.
The briefing did not introduce the views of the board or official
government policy, and it runs counter to the current attitude of
the Bush administration that the Saudi kingdom is an important
ally in the Middle East region. However, according to the
newspaper, it represents a growing tendency within the Bush
administration, especially within the staff of Vice President
Cheney and in the Pentagon's civilian leadership.
One administration official said opinion about Saudi Arabia is
changing swiftly within the U.S. government. "People used to
rationalize Saudi behavior," he said. "You don't hear that
anymore. There's no doubt that people are recognizing reality and
recognizing that Saudi Arabia is a problem." (Albawaba.com)
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