About Saudi Arabia

[Rasputin]

The son of the last ruler of part of present-day Saudi Arabia has said he was setting up an opposition party in Paris to seek democratic rule in the oil-rich kingdom.


Prince Talal Mohammad al-Rashid is son of the last ruler of the independent Rashidi emirate, which reigned in the northwestern region of Hail from 1835 to 1921.

He said on Tuesday: "We announce the birth of the Saudi Democratic Opposition Front, which will struggle by peaceful means for the establishment of democracy in the country."

"The Al-Saud (family ruling Saudi Arabia) must either respect liberties and introduce democracy or give up the power they usurped," Prince Talal, who has been living in exile in France since 1980, told AFP.

Talal, son of Mohammad II bin Talal al-Rashid, said his opposition group would launch a satellite television channel within three months which will broadcast from a European country to "call on Saudis to rise up against the tyrants and usurpers plundering public funds".

The Rashidi emirs, who were ousted by the Al-Saud family during its struggle to unite Saudi Arabia, are a branch of the Shammar tribal confederation.

Prince Talal, who has retained his title, said that the confederation was backing his new movement.

He said his group, with "some 2,000 active members, mostly in Saudi Arabia", would co-ordinate its activities with other opponents of the Saudi government at home and abroad, chiefly the London-based Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia (MIRA), which calls for a regime change in the kingdom.

Members of the Shammar confederation are believed to number "hundreds of thousands living mainly in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria but also in Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates", said Talal's daughter, Madhawi al-Rashid, a London-based academic.

[donsaeid]

baba dameshon garm aval be zanashon ejazeye ranandegi bedan bad bian harfe democracy bezanan

[Rasputin]

Gulf Arab countries will not be used as a launch pad for any military attack on Iran, Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz was quoted as saying yesterday.
Nayef said Iran had no interest in striking its oil-producing Arab neighbours if it comes under attack from the US.
“I think the brothers in Iran are totally aware that ... Iran will not be a source of harm for their neighbours and brothers ... These countries (Arab neighbours) will not be a source of harm for Iran,” he said in remarks late on Saturday carried by state news agency SPA.
“Respect and consideration are mutual. I speak for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (relations) with Iran and for the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC),” he added, referring to Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
Nayef urged Iran to hand over militants suspected of plotting against the kingdom.
Iran extradited a number of Saudi suspects to the kingdom in the past. Some of the suspects have been released after being cleared.
He also called on Tehran not to meddle in Iraqi affairs. Saudi Arabia had accused Iran of backing Shia death squads killing Sunnis in Iraq, and of backing an opposition front led by Hezbollah in efforts to bring down the Sunni-backed government in Lebanon.
“Creed does not justify intervention in Iraqi affairs,” he said.
* Saudi King Abdullah arrives in Spain today to begin a week-long visit to Europe which will also take in talks with French and Polish leaders.
The monarch will then head to Poland on June 24.
King Abdullah, who makes his first official visit to Spain a year after receiving King Juan Carlos, will also hold talks with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
As well as discussing the tense situation in the Middle East, both counties are due to ink bilateral agreements on tax, fighting crime and terrorism.

[Rasputin]

Saudi Columnist in Scathing Criticism Of Hizbullah and Syria: They Are Trying To Destroy Lebanon Down to the Last Man

In her column in the Saudi daily Al-Riyadh, Hasna Al-Quna'ir harshly criticized the Lebanese opposition, headed by Hizbullah, for conspiring with foreign elements against Lebanon with the aim of destroying it. She went on to accuse Hizbullah of betraying the homeland by serving as an agent of non-Lebanese Arab and Islamic elements, and called for disarming it.

In her column, Al-Quna'ir hinted that it was Syria who had sent Fath Al-Islam into the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, and posited that Syria had played its final hand in its attempts to destroy Lebanon.

The following are the main points of Hasnaa Al-Quna'ir's column: [1]

The Opposition is Acting Like "A Gang Sworn to Destroy Its Homeland"

"... Since [Lebanon gained] its independence, this country has undergone ethnic and political conflicts one after the other, up until the outbreak of the bloody 1975-1990 conflict among the different ethnic communities and parties that was called the Lebanese civil war. [The war] ceased after [the signing of] the Taif Agreement - the non-implementation of which caused the unceasing crises that we are witnessing today in Lebanon. [These crises are] due to the alliances between influential Lebanese elements and external elements that seek to remain dominant in Lebanon.

"There is no doubt that none [of these external elements] could have gained even one inch of Lebanese land or spilled a single drop of blood on this land had it not been for the help of some of the Lebanese - those who conspire against their homeland. Indeed, throughout history there has never been [a country] whose sons have done to it what some of the Lebanese have done to their country.

"So [why] is it permitted only to reproach others [outside Lebanon]? Can we tell them 'Take your hands off Lebanon' while some Lebanese are happy about this… and conspire against their country - for the sake of narrow interests and aspirations that they could achieve even without conspiring with a foreigner against their homeland?

"In Lebanon, there is a group that claims to be the opposition. But its deeds are nothing but the deeds of a gang sworn to destroy its homeland, down to its last man, its last grain of earth, and its last drop of water. But this is not how an opposition acts. We have never heard nor read [of any] opposition - in the civilized world or in the uncivilized world - that acted towards its homeland like the Lebanese opposition is acting towards its homeland.

"Moreover, in modern democracies it has never happened that the parliamentary speaker conspired with enemies of the state, to the point of making them into an element helping to destroy the homeland, to spread anarchy within it, and to ruin its economic infrastructure. What kind of position is this for someone who is meant to be defending the constitution and who is responsible for the democratic process? Did [they threaten him] with assassination, as happened to others before him? What is life worth when one betrays principles and values?..."


Nasrallah is Betraying His Homeland

"Since the end of the war launched by [Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan] Nasrallah against Israel, on orders from abroad - the war that destroyed everything - Hizbullah has begun... to plunder the [Lebanese] government and to force its agenda on it - an agenda which is fundamentally external [to Lebanon] and is aimed at carrying out the [Syrian] threat to destroy Lebanon over the heads of its sons...

"Nasrallah has destroyed [Lebanon's] political, economic, and social life, and all the while has never stopped accusing the Lebanese government of having the disease that he himself has - that is, betrayal of the homeland...

"However, despite all the opposition's deeds, Lebanon is not dead... But at the same time, Lebanon's enemies and their lackeys have not despaired of destroying Lebanon, particularly with the approach of the [date] of the [U.N. Security Council's] approval of the international tribunal to try the assassins of [former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq] Al-Hariri and his associates.

"[After Lebanon's enemies] having played all their cards - including assassinations, bombings, Shi'ite ministers' quitting the government, a sit-down strike in the heart of Beirut, and blocking roads and intersections - the homeland has not crumbled, and the government has not fallen... After all their cards were burned, [Lebanon's enemies] turned to their last card - the card of the Palestinian refugee camps. These refugee camps have [now] become centers of conflict... and are subject to the agenda of elements whose interest it is to damage the security and stability of Lebanon."


Fath Al-Islam Was Sent By Lebanon's Enemies to Destroy It

"The increase in political tension in Lebanon is connected to the international pressures on Syria and Iran. As international pressure on Syria and Iran increases, so do the tension and escalation [in Lebanon]. This is done through the creation of political tension [in Lebanon] by means of [Syria's and Iran's] loyal allies, or through assassinations and bombings...

"The enemies of Lebanon, who seek its destruction and devastation, have exploited the terrorists being held in their prisons - some of them foreigners and some of them the remnants of Al-Qaeda, and their numbers are estimated in the thousands - in order to use them against Lebanon and against these terrorists' home countries. They sent them to the Palestinian refugee camps [in Lebanon] where the Lebanese army did not go.

"However, they disregarded the fact that these terrorists would expose them to the eyes of all when they were apprehended, and would name the element that recruited them and sent them to Lebanon to [join] the terrorist militia calling itself Fath Al-Islam. [Fath Al-Islam] is a terror organization that received support, aid, and weapons from an element [i.e. Syria] which since its emergence has taken it upon itself to poison the lives of the Arabs in general and of the Lebanese in particular."


There is No Justification for Leaving Weapons in Hizbullah's Hands

"The existence of armed militias that owe loyalty [to external elements] will lead Lebanon to an unknown future. Therefore, there is no escape from implementing the international decision [stating that] all armed militias must be disarmed, whether it is Hizbullah's weapons or the weapons of the Palestinian refugee camps…

"One of the most important things in any independent country that emerges from occupation or civil war is that all the forces in the field hand over all their weapons and ammunition to the country's regular army. In this way, the only [weapons] remaining in the country will be [weapons in the hands of the state]. With regard to [disarming] Hizbullah, this move should have been made since the Taif Agreement, but [the weapons] remained [in Hizbullah's hands] under the excuse that [they need them for] 'resistance' [against Israel in southern Lebanon]. But [now], when the role of these weapons has already ended, there is no reason for leaving them [in place] - unless they are being stockpiled for use against the internal Lebanese arena."

[Rasputin]

Saudi King Abdullah Bin-Abd-al-Aziz Al Saud on Tuesday began his first full day of an official visit to Spain - the first by a Saudi monarch in a quarter century. He will meet Madrid's mayor Alberto Ruiz Gallardon and attend the inauguration of a Spanish-Saudi investment fund, along with King Juan Carlos, before an evening meeting with the prime minister Jose Luis Zapatero and a banquet at the Moncloa presidential palace.

King Abdullah's intense Spanish trip began with a gala dinner at the royal palace with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia as well as other members of the Spanish government. In his speech Juan Carlos recalled that the two countries have been forced to deal with the scourge of terrorism and both firmly condemn it. He went on to reject any attempt to distort religion and culture by those who want to sow hate and division.

Spanish history bears witness to the Arab and Muslim presence on the Iberian peninsula, the King said. He emphasised that Spain wants to increase and consolidate its relations with the Arab and Muslim world and the recent inauguration of the Arab House, a state-financed body, gives proof of that.

In his remarks Abdullah Bin Abdullaziz Al Saud asked the internatiuonal community to intervene quickly for the Middle East, before it is too late. In this framework, Spain could play a "leading role" in supporting the peace process, the Saudi monarch said.

King Abdullah and Zapatero will also review progress on the UN-backed Alliance of Civilisations initiative to strengthen dialogue between the Muslim world and the West.

The initiative was launched by Zapatero in 2004 at the UN General Assembly in September 2004 after the deadly Madrid train bombings in March that year which killed 191 people and injured 1,800. Riyadh is a strong supporter of the Alliance, which is co-chaired by Zapatero and Turkey's prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

[mike435]

baba dameshon garm aval be zanashon ejazeye ranandegi bedan bad bian harfe democracy bezanan

hahahah

thats like telling bush hey provide social services for your own citizens before you set out to make the life of iraqis better
hypocrocy

[Rasputin]

دستگيری ايرانی ها، بيانيه مالکيت سه جزيره، شکار شيعه ها
و سنگر بندی طلاب جنگجو در يک مسجد در پاکستان
شتاب عربستان سعودی
برای محاصره مذهبی ايران




پليس عربستان با حمله به هتل ماموران سازمان حج جمهوری اسلامی 21 سرپرست و عوامل خدماتی ايرانی را دستگير و پس از دو روز زندان با دستبند و به فرودگاه مکه منتقل و به ايران بازگرداند.

مقامات حج و زيارت جمهوری اسلامی اين اقدام پليس و ماموران امنيتی عربستان سعودی را ناشی از اشکالات اقامتی و ويزائی اعلام کرده اند. اما از آنجا که در روزهای گذشته سلسله اخباری دائر بر فاصله گيری هرچه بيشتر اعراب منطقه با ايران روی تلکس خبرگزاری ها رفته، اين احتمال که عربستان برای کور کردن منابع اطلاعاتی و ارتباطی جمهوری اسلامی دست به اين اقدام زده باشد زياد است. پليس عربستان بهانه اين اقدام خود را پايان مهلت اقامت افراد دستگير شده در عربستان اعلام کرده است، اما به گفته مقامات ايرانی، اين نوع اقامت های فراتر از اجازه اقامت سابقه طولانی داشته است. دستگير شدگان ايرانی عمدتا اصفهانی بوده اند و گفته می شود بازرسی از هتل های ايرانی ها در مکه آغاز شده است.

همزمان با اين اقدام، شيوخ خليج فارس، بدنبال نشستی که در رياض پايتخت عربستان ترتيب يافته بود بيانيه ای را با ادعای مالکيت بر سه جزيره تنب بزرگ و کوچک و ابوموسی امضاء کردند. اين اقدامات نمی تواند با رايزنی های هفته گذشته سران منطقه خليج فارس به شمول عربستان سعودی با رهبران مصر و ابراز نگرانی از تلاش های ايران برای گسترش نفوذ در ميان شيعيان اين کشورها بی ارتباط باشد.

و باز در گزارش ديگری که بصورت تحريک آميز و احتمالا غلو آميز از سوی "رجانيوز" سايت وابسته به دم و دستگاه مصباح يزدی منتشر شد، پليس عربستان در خيابان ها به شيعه شناسی- ايرانی- و دستگيری آنها دست زده است.

اگر رابطه مستحکم ارتش پاکستان با دستگاه سلطنتی عربستان سعودی را به خاطر آوريم و اينکه دهها هزار گارد سلطنتی عربستان سعودی زير نظر ارتش پاکستان است، آنگاه ماجرای سنگر گيری مرتجع ترين طلاب سنی- عمدتا وهابيون وابسته به عربستان سعودی- در يک مسجد و حتی کشف نقشه ترور پرويز مشرف رئيس جمهور نظامی پاکستان نيز معنای خود را می يابد:

عربستان در پی فشار به دولت پاکستان برای اسلامی تر شدن اين کشور و تقويت نقش سنی های تندرو در پاکستان است و با ماجرای اخير چنگ و دندان خود را به ژنرال مشرف نشان داد. اين گردش به سمت سنی های تندرو و مرتجع در پيوند با تقويت دوباره طالبان در افغانستان که سر نخ هر دو آنها در عربستان سعودی است، نوک آن کوه يخی را به نمايش می گذارد که نام آن جنگ مذهبی در منطقه و عليه ايران است!

[Rasputin]

The dangers to Iran posed by the Israeli lobby have come to light on this web site and in the blogger community. Juxtaposed to this lobby, is another dangerous force to Iranians, It is subtle, religiously driven and indirect. It is important to be aware of, considering the increase in tension and possibility of military action. It is mainly religiously driven.

DC is home to a diverse neighborhood of “think-tanks”. The scholarly names and titles for these provide neat covers for the ugly work they are often responsible for. Overall it’s a pretty incestuous political machine and entry to it offers steady jobs and celebrity status (the dusty, McLaughlin Group kind) as panelists and analysts in media debates. Not to mention invitations to lavish dinners at the homes of foreign dignitaries residing in Washington.

One such organization is the Middle East Institute. While they hardly speak for the Israeli cause, they work against Iranian interests in a number of ways. MEI acts as the mouthpiece for the Saudi royal family.

MEI does an excellent job of deflecting attention from the US-Saudi alliance’s influence on Iran policy. They are helpful in deflecting criticism of Saudi society as it appears to the State Department: full of anti-American sentiment and egregiously neglectful of human rights situation within Saudi society. This is important in light of the Bush administration’s unfair Iran sanctioning and lack of engagement.

What makes all this even more important is the Saudi hate for Shia in terms of Iranian political motivations.


Here is a classic example of how this works: On June 14, 2007, the House Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight held a hearing titled “Is There a Human Rights Double Standard? U.S. Policy Toward Saudi Arabia, Iran and Uzbekistan.”

The opening witness, and man of interest here is Mr. Thomas W. Lippman, Adjunct Scholar from the Middle East Institute. A bit more background on Lippman included in the link explains that “he is also the author of the essay on Saudi Arabia's defense strategy and nuclear weapons policy published in 2004 by the Brookings Institution Press in The Nuclear Tipping Point, a book on global nuclear proliferation.” The man is also big in the Saudi US Relations Information Service.

In his testimony on June 14, he states that in the case of Saudi Arabia, there is a double standard. He explains that the historical respect for Saudi culture is the main reason for this of the policy.

The founding King told the United States in the 1930’s: “We will use your iron, but leave our faith alone.” If only Iran’s kings had been as astute.

The testimony is full of reasons for the double standard, and why it is good. Keep in mind the significance of having a white male speaking about the economic value of the US-Saudi alliance in spite of “negative” human rights reports, as opposed to a Saudi in traditional kit/headdress.

Lippman basically makes the case that Saudi’s are happy, the Iranians are not. Focus regime change on the Iranians. Here’s what he tells the panel as proof. Keep in mind, this is coming from a “scholar”.

He stresses the US cannot assume that Saudis want change or “desire a society according to our standards of individual liberty and personal freedom” (p 5). “The Saudis were always very proud of the fact that when the Iranian students were so unhappy with their country, when they came here, they stayed.” (p 40) Whereas, Saudi students return home after completing their education. He cites no evidence for this.

He labels Saudi society as “evolving” (p 5), because after Kissinger came to Saudi, the taboo of Jews in the kingdom was broken. Ridiculous. He tells the panel that the Saudi risk themselves by advocating peace with Israel, while “Iran’s leaders call for Israel’s extinction” (p 14).

In a joint statement in 2005 from Crawford Ranch, President Bush and King Abdul Aziz said “The United States considers that nations will create institutions that reflect the history, culture and traditions of their own societies.”

This isn’t true for Iran though. Part of democracy is giving people the tools to make build a strong civil society. Sanctions will harm that. Worst of all, Iran has invested a large amount of money in its nuclear program, and the US is threatening to damage it. Meanwhile, the Saudis are allowed to use America to strengthen their economy and commercial interests.

According to the Congressional Report on Saudi Arabia, the Saudi cabinet released a statement “if the Israeli military savagery continues to kill and destroy, no one can predict what will happen” and “should the option of peace fail as a result of the Israeli arrogance, only the option of war will remain.” (p 16) The double standard is painful.

Lippman and the Saudi PR strategy machine have worked to such an extent that the Saudis are being permitted to work on gaining nuclear power.

The Saudi Prince told reporters “nuclear technology is an important technology to have for generating power, and the gulf states need it equally” (p 21) No one has said a word about that statement at the last Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Riyadh. Iran stands to lose a great deal of her interests. Meanwhile, the double standard helps the Saudis gain more regional power as the US supports an economic alliance and nuclear power for a country that is full of hatred, but fortunate enough to have the right influence on Capitol Hill.