January 14, 2008

Mideast Roundup: Bush's Diplomatic & Cultural Journey

President Bush arrived in Saudi Arabia today as he began to wrap up his first tour of the Middle East as commander in chief. Here's a roundup of the president's recent stops and statements in the region (in reverse chronological order):

Saudi Arabia. Although the Bush family is reportedly very friendly with the Saudi royal family, today marks President Bush's first visit to the desert kingdom, a key U.S. ally in the Middle East. King Abdullah greeted the president upon his arrival in Riyadh, and the two began talks over dinner. They were expected to focus on the main themes of Bush's trip: the threat posed by Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian peace effort and the spread of democracy in the region.

Bush also came bearing gifts: the opportunity to purchase $123 million worth of "smart bomb" technology and related equipment, AP reports. The White House notified Congress of the arms sale, part of an overall $20 billion package for Persian Gulf states, this morning. According to the Los Angeles Times, "Under U.S. provisions governing such arms sales, Congress has 30 days in which it may disapprove the sale once lawmakers receive the formal notification of the administration's plans."

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Posted at 3:52 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, President Bush, Saudi Arabia
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November 27, 2007

Mideast Summit: 'We Are Ready'

UPDATED.

Reading a joint statement issued by the international participants of the Annapolis conference on Israeli-Palestinian relations, President Bush heralded what is widely seen as a last-ditch attempt to broker a lasting peace between the two Mideast parties.

"We express our determination to bring an end to bloodshed, suffering and decades of conflict between our peoples; to usher in a new era of peace, based on freedom, security, justice, dignity, respect and mutual recognition; to propagate a culture of peace and nonviolence; to confront terrorism and incitement, whether committed by Palestinians or Israelis," Bush said before representatives of the U.N., EU, G-8 and nearly every major Arab League nation. "In furtherance of the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, we agree to immediately launch good-faith bilateral negotiations in order to conclude a peace treaty, resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues without exception."

Seated on stage to the president's side were Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the two leaders who will do the heavy lifting in the negotiations. The joint statement was, as expected, a declaration of support from the world community of the two-state solution advocated by both parties as well as the United States. The statement also included a recommitment to the 2003 road map established by the Quartet -- the U.S., EU, U.N. and Russia -- shepherding the peace process.

But Bush also clarified the role the U.S. will play during the coming stretch of talks. While Washington won't exactly be in the thick of negotiations, it will be overseeing and assessing Israel's and the PLO's progress on the road map requirements. Exactly how much of a taskmaster the U.S. is in the process will probably be determined by the depth of involvement by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the mastermind behind the new push for a two-state solution.

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Posted at 3:03 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Fatah, Hamas, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, Palestinians, President Bush, Saudi Arabia, Syria
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August 24, 2007

Saudi Embassy Protest Highlights Role In Iraq

UPDATED.

About a hundred Iraqi-Americans rallied this morning outside the Saudi Embassy -- and across the street from The Gate -- in protest of the kingdom's support for Sunni insurgents and terrorists in their home country. Bearing signs and banners that read "Saudi Are Behind 9/11 And Iraqi Suiside Bombing [sic]" and "Wahhabi Saudi Money Kill Our Children," the protesters traveled from across the country to send Saudi Arabia a message.

(Click here, here and here for photos of the protest.)

"The muftis of Saudi Arabia send fighters to kill the Iraqi people for their religion," said Abdul al-Mayahi of New Orleans. With protesters shouting "No bomb!" and "Down with Wahhabi!" in Arabic behind him, he continued, "We ask Saudi Arabia to act against those people who import terrorism, who come to Iraq. They need to live in peace."

But aren't the Saudis our allies in the war on terror, you ask?

Not quite.

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Posted at 2:30 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, Robert Gates, Saudi Arabia
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