The Saudis get ticked at the State Department
The Saudis are furious at the State Department because Undersecretary of State William Burns told a Washington seminar this week that Saudi King Abdullah and Israeli President Shimon Peres met along the sidelines of a UN inter-religious conference last November. The Saudis have demanded a retraction.According to a statement from an "official source" on the kingdom's SPA news agency, "The comments by the State Department undersecretary are absolutely baseless and made up."God forbid that King Abdullah should actually talk to an Israeli leader.
I have found the speech that Burns made. It was the keynote address of the New America Foundation's conference entitled "U.S. - Saudi relations in a world without equilibrium." The key part is between the 9:00 and 10:00 minute marks.
Let's go to the videotape.
What's striking about this tape is the extent to which Burns fawns over the Saudis. It's that deferential attitude that brought the 9/11 attacks to America. The US is so busy deferring to the Saudis that it doesn't put its foot down when it should.
By the way, the 8-year old mentioned towards the end of the speech got a divorce today.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:44 AM
2 Comments:
Abdullah could have admitted that he met with Peres but that Peres was forced to use the service entrance. That would have preserved Arab sensibilities.
Burns is actually one of the most unctuous life-long Arabists in the State Department.
Commentary has posted an article on this conference from the Nation.
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/tobin/64291
Note my comments on the guest list.
So called moderate Arabs are insulted at being identified as talking to Israelis.
To say an Arab talked to a Jew is the greatest insult in the Arab World next to dealings with the Zionists - which is also a capital offense.
And to think the Arabs are ready for peace with Israel is a lie.
That's not surprising considering nearly every Arab country including the PA and Hamastan are judenrein. Peace and co-existence between Israel and the Arabs?
Do dream on!
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