IP: For some, bin Laden will be neither friend nor foe

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Saudi Arabia's reluctance to join the international terrorist search is 
motivated by deep suspicion of US integrity, writes Jonathan Aitken.

Saudi Arabia is the most pivotal, yet least understood Islamic power, 
potentially the most vital player or the most devastating non-player in the 
US-led coalition against global terrorism. Because of the conflicting 
signals and tensions emerging from this desert kingdom, including its 
refusal to let the Americans use bases there for attacks on Arabs or 
Muslims, Western theories about its stance in the coming conflict are rife 
with imaginative and often erroneous speculation. Yet the riddle of the 
Saudi Arabian sands is by no means unsolvable.

At the heart of the puzzle is the Saudi Government's need to steer a 
careful course between national interest and public opinion. The national 
interest points to co-operation with the United States for protection 
against Iraq, for intelligence sharing and for wholehearted collaboration 
in the fight against terrorism. On the other hand, Saudi public opinion, 
largely unreported in the state-controlled media, is often virulently 
critical of US attitudes and policy. These anti-American sentiments do not, 
however, go unheard.

<snip>

http://www.smh.com.au/news/0110/02/opinion/opinion2.html

The Daily Telegraph, London

Jonathan Aitken is a former British minister for defence procurement and 
former chief secretary to the Treasury.




For archives see: http://www.interesting-people.org/