All month Saudi Arabia has been trying to “bid” for Russia’s acquiescence to a regime change in Syria, and just days before a planned US attack, the bidding process looks to be stepping up.
Once centering on a $15 billion arms deal for Russia’s well-connected arms makers, leaked transcripts of the meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Saudi spy chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan shows a much broader effort to buy off the Russians.
The big financial incentive is now an offer to establish some sort of alliance between Russia and OPEC, further restricting global competition and giving the Russian government a major say in the world’s oil supply above and beyond its own major production.
Perhaps at least as significant, and doubtlessly much more scandalous, was the offer of “protection” for the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Prince Bandar openly claimed direct Saudi control over Chechen militant factions operating in Russia which are threatening to attack the games.
“I can give you a guarantee to protect the Winter Olympics in the city of Sochi on the Black Sea next year. The Chechen groups that threaten the security of the games are controlled by us,” Bandar is quoted as telling Putin.
In effect, the Saudis are betting that they can hang the threat of terrorism over Russia’s head as an inducement to play ball, but President Putin reportedly took Bandar to task for the comments, saying that their support for terrorist groups is “completely incompatible with the common objectives of fighting global terrorism.”
Still, being appalled by the cynical, gangster movie-style nature of the offer and rejecting it are two different things, and the reality is that the offers may be too much for Russia to refuse, even if it means bailing on the Assad government.
Oil and terrorism are the only 2 Saudi exports.
> All month
Did they know something we didn't?
> "controlled by us"
Since around the times of the good old Afghan war they have been into this all over the region. Interesting that they start to use this openly now.
"Assad finances terrorism. We have to take him out. By the way, nice Winter Olympics you got there, shame if something happened to it."
"Still, being appalled by the cynical, gangster movie-style nature of the offer and rejecting it are two different things, and the reality is that the offers may be too much for Russia to refuse, even if it means bailing on the Assad government."
Say´s who? You Ditz? Russia is an international superpower with a reputation (not of the US kind who have betrayed friends and foes from it´s genocide on 50 million American natives to every war it instigated fought and lost since WW2). Bandar acted and threatened will full backing from his bosses in Washington, he even admitted or rather bragged as much. Buying Yeltzin under the russian-israeli oligarchs was an easy one. Buying an almost fully restored Russia with Putin, well, dream about it. The world for Russia is not limited to the middle east only and contrary to USA they are not obsessed with or under control of, israel..
Remains to be seen. None of the offers are serious — and can easily be broken. So, what will be the point of accepting them. Saudi Arabia is feeling on the top of the world, as they have been able to capitalize on the investment into Egypitan Salafi movement, that was instrumental in toppling their nemesis, the Moslem Brotherhood. But they are not secure. General Al-Sisi may end up isolated, so the push is on to do something about Syria, before Egypt unravels again.
One does not have to be a seasoned politician to notice that the "offers" are hardly worth considering. If they will deliver, say about 500,000 bilion in gold up front, that would be another story. And they do not control "Chechens". Ramzan Kadirov controls Checnya, not Saudi Arabia. The danger to Russia is Georgia, that allows its territory to be used for transit of terrorists. As for Chechens that do not like Kadirov, they god asylum in US. And some bombed Boston marathon.
2007 was well before two notable events took place. First there was the current 'spot of bother' in Syria and the Saudis' backing the rebels. Then there was Prince Bandar getting himself dead in a retaliatory bombing after a rebel strike at the Syrian Defence Headquarters. The basic references here are to some significantly 'old news'.
Saudi Arabia is no threat to the Russians, who don't have that oil dependency much of the rest of the world has.
Saudi Arabia have no politics nor social agendas but what they present at this time and have been presenting for last hundred years, an Islamic dictatorial regime based on shariah laws, disrespecting the rights of women, disrespecting human rights, disrespecting and disregarding every humanity laws out there to protect themselves, but they have money, an income of what western world needs, oil business is the Saudis only income and for the west is a lucrative source of business where even the Swedish king appreciates what Saudi kingdoms family dose, a kingdoms regime where no Saudis have the right to elect the elected government nor they have ever voted for kings to be the tyrants. That's when and why they use their incomes to bribe anyone and everyone to be whom they are, they been bribing the western powers (US and England in particular) for decades, now they see their investment in (their) terrorism in Syria not going anywhere, so, they turnaround and wanting to bribe Russian government, this is not the first time Saudis kingdoms family showing their lack of judgment, lack of even understanding the basics in democracy in real time, they have done it in Yugoslavia, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya and now Syria. They are simply against any unity between nations in middle east,they are the core in divided arab nationals and they want to keep it that way to keep their illegitimate regime in power. They have been bribing-bribed the west, so they asked for westerns Neo liberals to return the favor, then the war in Syria started, not counting on the Syria people resistance, now that they are defeated they want bribe Russian government as well.
Never hear talk of regime-change in Saudi Arabia…
"Prince Bandar openly claimed direct Saudi control over Chechen militant factions operating in Russia which are threatening to attack the games."
Putin should have returned Prince Bandar after a trip to a sausage factory (see the film Prime Cut).