dagblog - Comments for "Saudi Prince Criticizes Obama Administration, Citing Indecision in Mideast"

Angry Arab News Service, Dec.

artappraiser — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 05:40:28 +0000

In reply to Suleiman Says Saudi to Give

Angry Arab News Service, Dec. 28: Something new in Lebanon

He's of Lebanese background, understands Lebanon well and doesn't say things like that lightly.

oops, looks like maybe

artappraiser — Sun, 29 Dec 2013 22:57:28 +0000

In reply to He doesn't say anything

oops, looks like maybe they're already doing that, what do I know?

Army finds rocket launch pads used against Israel
By Mohammed Zaatari, The Daily Star, Last updated: December 29, 2013 06:04 PM

MARJAYOUN: The Lebanese Army found four rocket launch pads used in the attack on Israel Sunday hours after the Israeli military fired a barrage of shells across the border in retaliation, a security source told The Daily Star.

The Army discovered the launch pads in Khreybet in south Lebanon where two rockets were fired into Israel earlier in the day, the source added [....]

He doesn't say anything

artappraiser — Sun, 29 Dec 2013 22:26:34 +0000

In reply to Suleiman Says Saudi to Give

He doesn't say anything suggesting using a beefed up military to disarm Hezbollah, but Sinoria's statements on behalf of March 14 coalition at the Shatah funeral suggest that might be a use if they had the power:

March 14 vows to confront Hezbollah: Siniora
The Daily Star, Last updated: December 29, 2013 05:16 PM

BEIRUT: Head of the Future bloc MP Fouad Siniora vowed Sunday to confront the presence of illegitimate arms in Lebanon, in a clear reference to Hezbollah, during the funeral procession of slain former Minister Mohammad Shatah who was laid to rest at the mausoleum of former PM Rafik Hariri.

Shatah, 62, was killed in a car bomb Friday along with seven others including a 16-year-old in the commercial district of Downtown Beirut. The explosion also wounded 70 people.

“The March 14 coalition has decided to free the nation from the occupation of illegitimate arms so we could protect our independence and guarantee our sovereignty and civil peace,” Siniora, a former PM, said at the mausoleum in Downtown Beirut where hundreds, including government officials and politicians, flocked to the Beirut mosque to bid farwell to the veteran diplomat.

“We say to the Lebanese and the family of Mohammad Shatah: We will not surrender, back down or fear criminals, terrorists and murderers; they are the ones who should be in fear,” he added.

“They kill so they could tighten their grip and we reiterate our commitment for a Lebanon of coexistence, freedom, equality, human rights, peaceful alternation of power and respect to the Constitution,” Siniora said [....]

So after al qaeda gets 1

Anonymous pp — Sun, 29 Dec 2013 21:40:22 +0000

In reply to Suleiman Says Saudi to Give

So after al qaeda gets 1 batch of weapons, another $3 billion worth to fall in their hands. The proxy war lives on.

Suleiman Says Saudi to Give

artappraiser — Sun, 29 Dec 2013 20:37:59 +0000

In reply to Saudi Prince Criticizes Obama Administration, Citing Indecision in Mideast

Suleiman Says Saudi to Give $3 Billion to Buy French Weapons for Lebanese Army
By Naharnet Newsdesk, Dec. 29, 2013

President Michel Suleiman on Sunday announced that Saudi Arabia has decided to donate three billion dollars with the aim of purchasing French weapons for the Lebanese army as soon as possible.

After canceling a much-anticipated press conference previously scheduled for Sunday evening, Suleiman appeared in a televised address to declare that he managed through his talks with Saudi King Abdullah to secure “extraordinary support” for the army.

“Enhancing the army's capabilities is a unifying national and popular demand and a source of pride and it is a dream that I always had during my 41 years of military service, and it is the dream of every Lebanese since independence to confront the Israeli threat, protect democracy, face terrorism and put an end to the proliferation of arms,” said the president.

“This support will contribute to confronting terrorism and helping UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) implement (U.N. Security Council) Resolution 1701,” Suleiman noted [....]

Suleiman hoped the French government “will back this initiative and support the army." [....]

Suleiman's announcement came as French President Francois Hollande arrived in Saudi Arabia for talks with King Abdullah.

During a press conference, Hollande announced that Paris "will respond positively to any Lebanese request," in response to a question about the Saudi initiative to arm the Lebanese army with French weapons.

"We have a common stance with Riyadh over the issue of Lebanon's unity and independence," said Hollande [....]

Saudi Arabia and Iran must

artappraiser — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 20:09:48 +0000

In reply to Saudi Prince Criticizes Obama Administration, Citing Indecision in Mideast

Saudi Arabia and Iran must end their proxy war in Syria
Peace talks on Syria can't work without a compromise between the two Gulf powers driving the conflict
By Fawaz Gerges, Comment is Free @ theguardian.com, 15 December 2013

After last week's suspension of non-lethal aid to the Free Syrian Army by the US and UK, western strategy towards the country lies in tatters. Washington and London were forced to act after Islamist rebels, including the al-Qaida-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, took over the headquarters and warehouses of the western-backed FSA and reportedly seized anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles, some of which are said to be American-supplied.

This humiliating defeat shows the rise of the Islamist rebels, most of whom oppose political dialogue with President Bashar al-Assad's regime and call for the establishment of a Qur'anic-based state. It also demonstrates the near-collapse of the FSA [....]

Last week, the US defence secretary, Chuck Hagel, conceded that Washington's approach to Syria is in disarray. Even Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, called on the rebels to "avoid discord and unite", reflecting Moscow's anxiety that the opposition's fragmentation does not bode well for the peace talks.

After almost three years of urban warfare, the uprising has mutated and produced unintended consequences. It has been hijacked by religious hardliners, criminal warlords and regional rivalries [....]

Saudi Arabia Will Go It

artappraiser — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 20:03:22 +0000

In reply to Saudi Prince Criticizes Obama Administration, Citing Indecision in Mideast

Saudi Arabia Will Go It Alone
By Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Britain.

New York Times guest Op Ed, Dec. 17/18, 2013

Lede: The West’s policies toward Iran and Syria pose a threat to the entire Middle East. We can’t stand idly by.

[....] And yet rather than challenging the Syrian and Iranian governments, some of our Western partners have refused to take much-needed action against them. The West has allowed one regime to survive and the other to continue its program for uranium enrichment, with all the consequent dangers of weaponization [....]

This year’s talks with Iran may dilute the West’s determination to deal with both governments. What price is “peace” though, when it is made with such regimes?

[....] We continue to show our determination through our support for the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian opposition. It is too easy for some in the West to use the threat of Al Qaeda’s terrorist operations in Syria as an excuse for hesitation and inaction. Al Qaeda’s activities are a symptom of the international community’s failure to intervene [....]

Note the report is bylined

NCD — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 19:25:04 +0000

In reply to Saudi Prince Criticizes Obama Administration, Citing Indecision in Mideast

Note the report is bylined from the famous gambling haven of Monaco, in the south of France, beloved turf of the idle & fabulously rich.

Does this mean the Princes will take a leave from their lives of leisure/gambling and other vices to personally lead the bloody revolt against Assad in defense of the cradle of Islam?

So it's a bad thing that the

Aaron Carine — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 00:05:51 +0000

In reply to Saudi Prince Criticizes Obama Administration, Citing Indecision in Mideast

So it's a bad thing that the United States isn't waging even more wars than it already does? Rot. Faisal can kiss my ass.

He speaks as if there were

Anonymous PP — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 23:36:37 +0000

In reply to Saudi Prince Criticizes Obama Administration, Citing Indecision in Mideast

He speaks as if there were proof Assad's government used chemical weapons, when there seems to be a strong possibility it was the rebels who used them. The NYTimes, still helping our rush to war in whatever conflict.