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Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal	Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal	Saudi Princes	Arabia				20050619
Prince Saud al-Faisal	Prince Saud al-Faisal	Saudi Princes	Arabia				20030420

Arabia

Saudi king orders cabinet shakeup after Khashoggi's killing

2018-12-28

[DAWN] Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... 's King Salman ...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Lord of Most of the Arabians.... issued a wide-ranging overhaul of top government posts on Thursday, including naming a new foreign minister, following international fallout from the killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi nearly three months ago. He also ordered a shakeup of the kingdom's two supreme councils that oversee matters related to the economy and security, respectively. Both councils are headed by the king's son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ...Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia as of 2016.... , whose powers, including roles as deputy prime minister and defense minister, were untouched in the overhaul. The changes appear to further consolidate the crown prince's grip on power by appointing advisers and members of the royal family seen as close to him. Adel al-Jubeir, the soft-spoken foreign minister who took over the post in 2015 from the late Prince Saud al-Faisal, was replaced by Ibrahim al-Assaf, formerly a longtime finance minister. al-Jubeir was appointed to the rank of minister of state for foreign affairs. Al-Assaf had been serving as a minister of state prior to being named foreign minister. He holds a seat on the boards of state-owned oil-giant Saudi Aramco and the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund. The crown prince oversees both entities. Al-Assaf's biography on Aramco's website says he holds a PhD in economics from Colorado State University, a master's degree in economics from the University of Denver and a bachelor's degree from King Saud University. The changes, which impact several key ministries, come as the king and his son, the crown prince, were looking to announce a major reshuffle following Khashoggi's killing by Saudi agents in Istanbul.

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Arabia

S. Arabia asks Russia to stop supplying Assad with arms

2015-03-30

[AA.TR] Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... 's Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal on Sunday called on Russian President Vladimir Putin ...Second and fourth President and sixth of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead... -- a key ally of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... -- to follow through with his own letter to Arab leaders in which he welcomed a swift settlement for the Syrian crisis. "The Russian President speaks about Syria's atrocities as though [Moscow] was not an essential factor behind their occurrence," al-Faisal said. "[Moscow] supplies the Syrian regime with strategic weapons it uses in fighting its own people in violation of Russian laws which ban the sale of arms to countries that use them for offense rather than defense," he added following the Arab summit, which was held for two days in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh. He said the Syrian regime had lost legitimacy. In a letter to the Arab summit, Putin said he backed peaceful settlements for conflicts in Middle East countries, including Syria. "We consider the soonest possible settlement of the crisis situations in Syria, Libya, and Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... on the basis of the principles of international law, by means of broad dialogue and search for national accord to be rather important," Putin said in the letter, which was read out during the summit by Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... chief Nabil al-Arabi. Al-Assad's fate in Syria's political future had been behind the collapse of the UN-backed Geneva talks between 2012 and 2014. The talks aimed at reaching a political settlement for the crisis in Syria.

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Arabia

Putin letter to Arab summit triggers strong Saudi attack

2015-03-30

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (Rooters) - Saudi Arabia accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of hypocrisy on Sunday, telling an Arab summit that he should not express support for the Middle East while fuelling instability by supporting Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. In a rare move, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced that a letter from Putin would be read out to the gathering in Egypt, where Arab leaders discussed an array of regional crises, including conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Libya. "We support the Arabs' aspirations for a prosperous future and for the resolution of all the problems the Arab world faces through peaceful means, without any external interference," Putin said in the letter. His comments triggered a sharp attack from Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal. "He speaks about the problems in the Middle East as though Russia is not influencing these problems," he told the summit right after the letter was read out. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Russia have been cool over Moscow's support for Assad, whom Riyadh opposes. The civil war between Assad's forces and rebels has cost more than 200,000 lives in four years. "They speak about tragedies in Syria while they are an essential part of the tragedies befalling the Syrian people, by arming the Syrian regime above and beyond what it needs to fight its own people," Prince Saud said. "I hope that the Russian president corrects this so that the Arab world's relations with Russia can be at their best level." The Saudi rebuke may have been awkward for summit host Egypt, which depends heavily on billions of dollars in support from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab allies, but has also improved ties with Moscow. In February, Putin received a grand welcome in Egypt, signaling a rapprochement.

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Arabia

Saudi Arabia warns of more Yemen violence

2014-10-01

Saudi Arabia has warned that neighbouring Yemen risks sliding towards further violence, which could damage regional security, after Houthi rebels overran the capital last week. Prince Saud al-Faisal, the kingdom's foreign minister, called at the United Nations for immediate implementation of a UN-brokered peace deal, which he said had been flouted by the Houthis, local media reported on Monday. "The Republic of Yemen is facing a situation which is developing in an extremely serious way and which requires us to come together to meet this unprecedented challenge," Prince Saud said. "We call on all the parties to urgently apply the accord in its totality and we exhort the international community to help Yemen by all means possible." Houthi advances The rebels advanced from their stronghold in northwestern mountains to the capital Sanaa last month, then seized key state installations with little or no resistance on September 21.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

OIC censures Israel for 'war crimes' against Gaza

2014-08-13

[Iran Press TV] The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has decried the Israeli regime's "war crimes" against Paleostinians of the besieged Gazoo Strip. The 56-member group released a statement following a ministerial meeting in the Saudi city of Jeddah, condemning, "in the liveliest terms," "the occupying force, for war crimes it doesn't stop committing in the Paleostinian territories." "Israel should immediately cease its aggression against the Paleostinian people and shoulder political and legal responsibility for war crimes," the OIC said. Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said at the meeting that a peace deal with Paleostinians was the only way for Tel Aviv to survive. The OIC also called for a meeting of donors for the reconstruction of Gazoo, which has been torn apart by the Israeli regime's offensive.

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Arabia

Saudis give apparent warning to Iran: don't meddle in Iraq

2014-06-18

Saudi Arabia gave an apparent warning to arch enemy Iran on Wednesday by saying outside powers should not intervene in the conflict in neighboring Iraq. Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal also said Iraq was facing a full-scale civil war with grave consequences for the wider region. His remarks coincided with an Iranian warning that Tehran would not hesitate to defend Shi'ite Muslim holy sites in Iraq against "killers and terrorists", following advances by Sunni militants there. Speaking at a gathering of Arab and Muslim leaders in Jeddah, Prince Saud urged nations racked by violence to meet the "legitimate demands of the people and to achieve national reconciliation (without) foreign interference or outside agendas". "This grave situation that is storming Iraq carries with it the signs of civil war whose implications for the region we cannot fathom," he said.

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Iraq

Smoking gun: Saudis running jihadists in Syria

2014-06-12

WASHINGTON -- A captured member of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims that the ISIL and other Islamic militant groups in Syria not only are supported by a member of the Saudi royal family but that individual actually heads the ISIL. In a video admission, a captured member of the ISIL said the radical Islamic group actually is led by Prince Adbul Rahman al-Faisal, the son of the late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia and the brother of the current Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal. A similar article can be found here. Notice how ISIL was careful to state its independence from Al-Qadea. I speculated that ISIL's attack in Iraq might have the aim of opening a second front against Iran (and BTW Syria). Looks like I might be right.

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Africa North

Sudan Says It Declined Iran Air Defense Offer After Israeli Strike

2014-05-30

[Ynet] In fear of upsetting Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... , Sudan distances itself from the Islamic republic while denying any connection to Moslem BrĂźderbund. Sudan turned down an Iranian offer to set up air defenses on its Red Sea coast after a 2012 air strike Khartoum blamed on Israel, fearing they would upset Iran's regional rival Saudi Arabia, Sudan's foreign minister was quoted as saying on Thursday. They also wanted a system that would work... In an interview with the Saudi-owned al-Hayat newspaper that seemed aimed at improving frosty ties with Riyadh, Ali Karti played down Khartoum's links to Iran and to the Moslem BrĂźderbund, which is outlawed in Saudi Arabia. "Iran, in truth, offered to set up air defense platforms on the Western coast of the Red Sea after the latest Israel raid, but Sudan rejected that because this would require Iranian arms experts (on the ground)," Karti said during a recent visit to Saudi Arabia, al-Hayat reported. "We rejected that because it is an Iranian presence against Saudi Arabia, something which we do not accept," he added. The 2012 air strike killed four people and partially destroyed an arms factory in Khartoum. Sudan blamed Israel, which did not comment at the time on the accusations. Israeli officials have in turn accused Sudan of funneling weapons from Iran to the Islamist Paleostinian group Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, in the Gazoo Strip. Iranian officials were not immediately available for a comment on Karti's comments. Sunni-powerhouse Saudi Arabia, a key regional ally of the United States, has been locked in a contest with non-Arab Shiite power Iran for influence in the Middle East. The rivalry has effectively divided the region into two camps, with countries either allied to Saudi Arabia or to Iran. Qatar factor Sudan has been entangled in a complex web that put it at odds with Saudi Arabia when the world's top oil exporter tried to shore-up Egypt's military-backed government in its struggle with the Moslem BrĂźderbund after the army ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... from power last year. Sudanese media have said Karti travelled to Saudi Arabia two weeks ago for talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal to improve 'lukewarm' ties between the two countries. Karti denied that Khartoum supported the Moslem BrĂźderbund, which has been outlawed by Egypt as well as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Brotherhood's embrace of the ballot box challenges the principle of dynastic rule in the Gulf. "There is a belief in the Gulf states that we have feelings towards the Moslem BrĂźderbund in any country in the Gulf or even in Egypt. But Sudan has refused to join the Moslem BrĂźderbund group," Karti said, according to al-Hayat. Sudan said last month after a visit by Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani that Doha would deposit $1 billion at Sudan's central bank as part of an aid package to Khartoum -- a move likely to be seen in the region as evidence of Sudan's ties to Qatar, an ally of the Brotherhood. In his interview with al-Hayat, Karti also played down Sudan's relationship with Tehran. "Our ties with Iran are quite ordinary," Karti said.

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Arabia

UAE, Saudi Form Joint Panel to Confront 'Regional Challenges'

2014-05-21

[AnNahar] Gulf neighbors the United Arab Emirates and Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... on Tuesday announced a joint committee to confront "regional challenges," in a statement published on official Emirati news agency WAM. The move came as Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal met UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan in Abu Dhabi. Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia have cracked down on Islamists accused of links to groups such as the Moslem Brüderbund and the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front fighting in Syria. Riyadh has designated both groups "terrorist" organizations. The newly formed "supreme committee" will be overseen by the Saudi and UAE foreign ministers, WAM said. It will "implement the strategic vision of the leaderships of both countries to increase security and stability to face regional challenges," WAM reported. Tensions have been running high between Saudi Arabia and the UAE on one side, and Qatar on the other. All belong to the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council. In an unprecedented escalation in March, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain pulled their ambassadors from Qatar after accusing it of meddling in their internal affairs, a charge Doha dismissed. Qatar is accused of supporting the Moslem Brüderbund, to which Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies have long been hostile. They fear its brand of grass-roots activism and political Islam could undermine their own authority.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Saudi FM Rejects Candidacy of Aoun, Fears 'Hidden Intentions'

2014-05-21

[AnNahar] Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... has reportedly rejected the nomination of Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... leader Michel Aoun ...a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... for the presidency, expressing fear over his "hidden intentions." Informed Lebanese sources told As Safir newspaper published on Tuesday that Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal informed local and foreign officials that he refuses to adopt the candidacy of Aoun. "We cannot forget his history... A consensual character cannot be made in one day," sources quoted al-Faisal as saying. He voiced concern over Aoun's "hidden intentions regarding the Lebanese national pact if he was elected as a head of state," stressing that a consensual president shouldn't be affiliated in either the March 8 or 14 alliances. Aoun continuously said that he will not announce his candidacy for the presidency if there was no political consensus on him. Sources, however, told the daily that al-Faisal's stance doesn't necessarily reflect the kingdom's stand as Saudi Arabia welcomes the rapprochement between al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... leader Saad Hariri Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's assassination. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too. and Aoun. For his part, Saudi Ambassador to Leb Ali Awadh Asiri said in comments published in al-Liwaa that the "kingdom doesn't interfere in a Lebanese local affair." "The Lebanese should act and we hope that a consensual president, who adopts the Baabda declaration and dissociation policy, would be elected." The diplomat continuously denied that his country is intervening in local Lebanese affairs, ruling out any contacts between Riyadh and Hariri regarding the presidential poll.

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Arabia

Kuwait Emir to Visit Iran amid Thaw in Relations

2014-05-21

Bow to the regional strong horse, at least long enough to stick a knife in its back. [AnNahar] Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah will travel to Iran on May 31 amid a recent thaw in Tehran's relations with Gulf states, the Iranian foreign ministry said Tuesday. Relations between Iran and the Gulf states have been frosty for years, with disagreements over the unrest in Bahrain and the conflict in Syria, before Hassan Rouhani was elected president of the Islamic republic last June. "The visit (of the Emir), which is upon the invitation of President Hassan Rouhani, will open a new chapter in relations of both countries," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham told news hounds at a news briefing. Afkham said "several agreements were expected to be signed", without giving details. In December last year, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif started a tour of Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar. But it ended without Zarif traveling to Iran's main rival, Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... Afkham said a visit to Saudi Arabia was on Zarif's agenda. "We have received the verbal invitation and measures are being taken to organize this trip," she said. "Iran and Saudi Arabia are two important countries in the region and their interaction is influential in the regional scope," she added. Last week, Riyadh's Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said he had invited his Iranian counterpart to visit the kingdom. Tehran welcomed the plan and stressed the need to boost relations after years of strained ties. The two countries have been at odds over Syria's civil war and the fallout from unrest in Bahrain. In the Syrian conflict, majority Shiite Mohammedan Iran has backed the government of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... while Sunni Saudi Arabia has been a leading supporter of rebel forces. Rouhani said after his election win last June he wanted to reach out to Gulf Arab governments as part of efforts to end his country's international isolation.

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Arabia

Analysts Say Gulf Deal Leaves the Ball in Qatar's Court

2014-04-19

[AnNahar] Wealthy Gulf Arab states have reached a "vague" compromise to thaw tensions over the Moslem Brüderbund with Qatar which has yet to prove its good intentions, analysts say. Thursday's deal between the six Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers did not, however, mention the return of Saudi, Emirati, and Bahraini ambassadors withdrawn from Doha in an unprecedented move on March 5. "The ball is now in Qatar's camp," Saudi former diplomat Abdullah al-Shammari told Agence La Belle France Presse. Qatar is accused of supporting the Moslem Brüderbund, but Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... and other Gulf monarchies have long been hostile to the Islamist movement. They fear that its brand of grass-roots activism and political Islam could undermine their own authority. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain had publicly accused Qatar of meddling in their internal affairs, a charge Doha dismissed. After Kuwaiti mediation, Thursday's extraordinary meeting in Riyadh ended with the GCC ministers agreeing that the policies of member states should not undermine the "interests, security and stability" of each other, a statement said. Nor should they impinge on the "illusory sovereignty" of another member. The statement, described by Emirati political science professor Abdulkhaleq Abdulla as "vague and indecisive" despite "reflecting reconciliation", did not name Qatar or elaborate on the deal. "The Qataris asked that the statement remain general and not directed towards them," he said. But "despite the vagueness in the statement's wording, Doha knows well the demands of the three countries," said Shammari, calling the agreement "a first step towards easing tensions". The three monarchies said in March that Doha had failed to comply with a non-interference commitment by Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. During a tripartite meeting in Riyadh in November, Kuwait's emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah sought to ease tensions between King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands Abdullah ... Fifth out of 37 sons of King Abdulaziz to ascend to the throne. He is, after his half-brothers Bandar and Musa'id, the third eldest of the living sons of Abdul Aziz ibn Saud. Abdullah's mother is from the Rashid clan, longtime rivals of the Saud. He has 6 sons and 15 daughters and about $20 billion. His youngest son is just seven years old... and Tamim. On Thursday, the foreign ministers agreed on an "implementation mechanism" to the November agreement in a meeting described by participants as "calm" in contrast to a reportedly "stormy" March 4 summit. Abdulla said Qatar has already implemented part of the deal by asking several Emirati and Saudi Moslem Brüderbund opposition figures in Doha to leave, and will soon expel more foreign Islamists. Another bone of contention is influential Doha-based satellite broadcaster Al-Jazeera ... an Arab news network headquartered in Qatar, notorious for carrying al-Qaeda press releases. The name means the Peninsula, as in the Arabian Peninsula. In recent years it has settled in to become slightly less biased than MSNBC, in about the same category as BBC or CBS... , seen by critics as pro-Moslem Brüderbund which Saudi Arabia has designated a "terrorist" group. Qatar on Thursday agreed to tone down Al-Jazeera but "this will be gradual", Abdulla said. The Saudis had also demanded that Qatar end its alleged support for Yemen's Shiite Houthis along the kingdom's southern border. "We are yet to see" if Qatar will implement this part of the agreement, Abdulla said. Mohammad al-Musfer, political science professor at the University of Qatar, insists that Doha's "foreign policy will not change, regardless of the circumstances". He said Thursday's accord does not "demand concessions on the policies member states are committed to, based on the principle of illusory sovereignty". Musfer said Qatar agreed to the "wording" of the deal, but not "on the core matters". "Any GCC member has the right to host whoever it pleases in its territories as long as this figure does not harm anyone," he said. On March 18, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal warned there will be rapprochement between Riyadh and Doha only when Qatar modifies its policies. His counterpart Khalid al-Attiya defended Qatar's independent foreign policy, saying it "provides a forum for all those who do not belong to any bloc to come and exchange their views." But Attiya also said last month that this does not mean that Doha agrees with them. A Gulf official, requesting anonymity, told AFP that the envoys of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain will not return to Doha until Qatar demonstrates its good intentions. According to Abdulla, and despite Kuwaiti certainty, "there is doubt in the UAE and Saudi Arabia" that Qatar will keep its promises.

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