I normally read Irwin Stelzer (Hudson Institute) with a pinch of salt but his articles in the Sunday Times often quote interesting sources. Today, he comes very close to what I have been writing recently about what I consider to have been America's real plans since 11 September -- or within a few days when the state department realised that the Al Qaeda was behind it and that it was being funded by rich businessmen in Saudi Arabia.
<<<< . . . . The Rand Report is the culmination of a learning process that has been under way since Septemeber 11. First, Americans discovered that the Saudi Arabian regime consists of a bunch of not-very-nice royals. Second, Americans discovered that the House of Saud is the principal financier of the terrorists against whom George Bush has declared war. . . . . Americans couldn't fail to notice that 15 of the 19 terrorists involved in the attacks were Saudis. . . . As Edward Morse, former deputy assistant secretary of state puts it: "They won't give us information, won't help track people down, and won't let us use our bases that are there to protect them." Rand adds that "the Saudis are active at every level of the terror chain". . . . . there is mounting talk around Washington of a possible American takeover of the Saudi oil fields. Should Osama bin Laden's associates topple the existing regime, or even seem to be about to do so, or should the Saudis shut down their wells, "the affected world community may feel compelled to 'liberate' the wells of Arabia and restore production, writes S.Fred Singer of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. After all, that is what America did in Kuwait. But, adds Singer, this time we "might not return the wells to the original owners, who by then will have departed to hotels on the Riviera or to the Dorchester" . . . . >>>> Bush pulled Saddam Hussein out of his magic hat after 11 September when the rabbit should have been the Saudi Arabian supporters and financiers of Al Qaeda and all attendant mullahs. But, on reflection, I suppose he could do no other. If Bush had implicated Saudi Arabia directly at that time then, probably, the fundamentalists would have forced the Saudi royal family to promptly discontinue oil supplies to America. With only a couple of months' reserves America would have been on gas rationing by now. So . . . much as I'm reluctant to write this, I suppose Bush had to mislead his public for the time being. And I suppose that's the reason why Tony Blair is supporting him -- and why both are so cavalier about excluding Congressmen and MPs respectively from constructive dialogue. However, now that the pretense is wearing thin, it must be creating great tensions in Saudi Arabia, so the dénouement might occur quite soon -- even before King Fahd dies. Incidentally, our latest aircraft carrier, with full complements of troops and aircraft, left for the Gulf some days ago. And the new American air base in Qatar is almost finished. Keith Hudson ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------- Keith Hudson,6 Upper Camden Place, Bath BA1 5HX, England Tel:01225 312622/444881; Fax:01225 447727; E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________________________________________________
