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American Morning
Friend or Foe?: Saudi Arabia, Complex Relationship
Aired December 16, 2002 - 07:43 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: As the Pentagon gets ready for a potential war with Iraq, the administration is trying to determine exactly who can be counted on for support and who can't. We're going to look at the shifting alliances all this week in our series, "Friend or Foe?"
Today, Saudi Arabia, it has been an ally for decades, but the relationship has been strained since September 11. Osama bin Laden was born and educated in Saudi Arabia, and of course, 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis.
Also recently, the FBI investigated revelations that the wife of the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. may have inadvertently funded two of the hijackers. The Saudis denied the charge, and insisted they do support the war on terrorism.
With all of these factors in play, how far can the Saudis be pushed if the U.S. ends up going to war with Iraq?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN (voice-over): In 1991, Saudi Arabia was an undisputed ally in the war against Iraq. The United States used its military base and flew through its air space. The Saudis were a full partner in the coalition to get Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait.
But now, Saudi officials are hard to pin down on whether they would support a second war against Iraq.
Just last month, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal, in an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, appeared to reject the idea.
SAUD AL FAISAL, SAUDI ARABIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: We would cooperate with the Security Council, but as for entering the conflict, or using the facilities as part of the conflict, that's something else.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): And that's a no on that?
AL FAISAL: No.
ZAHN: But while Saudi Arabia has its reservations, so, too, does the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On September 11, all of those things which we had tolerated over the years are coming to a head.
ZAHN: Among the things the United States tolerated, past support for terrorists, discrimination against women and minorities, no freedom of speech, religion or the press.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We look the other way at our own peril. We've got to face reality in this. We need the Saudis, and they need us. But they've got to reduce the invective and the resourcing that's feeding this terror.
ZAHN: Some analysts argue that one thing that feeds the terror is the Saudi royal family support of the spread of Wahhabism. It is a radical form of Islam that is intolerant of other religions.
For its part, Saudi Arabia, like other Arab countries, resents the United States for its continuing support of Israel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What they see is the United States not doing enough to deal with the situation between Israel and Palestine, the United States not being tough enough on Prime Minister Sharon, particularly as regards to settlements.
ZAHN: All of these tensions complicate the U.S. goal of removing, or at the very least disarming, Saddam Hussein. So while the Bush administration may say privately that the Saudis have not done enough to fight terrorism, they send different signals publicly.
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president believes that Saudi Arabia is a good partner in the war on terrorism.
ZAHN: So, will the Saudis ultimately come around and support an American-led effort against Iraq?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They want to sit on the fence as long as possible, because they are very sensitive to opinion, not only domestically, but elsewhere in the Islamic world. And they want to be leaders. They don't want to be too far out in front.
ZAHN: U.S. officials now say they believe the Saudi government would allow American troops to use their military command center at Sultan Air Base and use Saudi air space.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They would not want a large presence of U.S. troops, but again, this may depend on the diplomacy up in front of the war. If Saddam Hussein clearly violates, there's a smoking gun piece of evidence that he's violated the U.N. Security Council resolutions, well, you know, that would make it easier for the Saudis to say, OK, go ahead, you can use our land.
ZAHN: Long-term, however, the Saudis fear what a U.S.-enforced regime change in Iraq could mean for their government and the royal family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They will be better off once Saddam Hussein is gone. But they do worry, and naturally so, that we might then decide to go on what some people might even call a crusade of bringing democracy -- American-style democracy to the Middle East. And if that happened, then everything is up for grabs in Saudi Arabia.
ZAHN: The Pentagon is not depending on the Saudis. The United States has installed a new command center at a base in the small Gulf state of Qatar, which could serve as the main headquarters in a war on Iraq.
So, if Qatar is emerging as such a vital player in a war against Iraq, where does the United States stand with the Saudis? Are they "friend or foe?"
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saudi Arabia is an ally in the war against Iraq, but its role in the broader campaign against terror is very ambivalent.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: And one U.S. official said the U.S.-Saudi relationship reminded him of an old Rolling Stones song -- quote -- "You can't always get what you want, but you'll get what you need."
We may not get our wish list, but we'll get enough.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired December 16, 2002 - 07:43 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: As the Pentagon gets ready for a potential war with Iraq, the administration is trying to determine exactly who can be counted on for support and who can't. We're going to look at the shifting alliances all this week in our series, "Friend or Foe?"
Today, Saudi Arabia, it has been an ally for decades, but the relationship has been strained since September 11. Osama bin Laden was born and educated in Saudi Arabia, and of course, 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis.
Also recently, the FBI investigated revelations that the wife of the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. may have inadvertently funded two of the hijackers. The Saudis denied the charge, and insisted they do support the war on terrorism.
With all of these factors in play, how far can the Saudis be pushed if the U.S. ends up going to war with Iraq?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN (voice-over): In 1991, Saudi Arabia was an undisputed ally in the war against Iraq. The United States used its military base and flew through its air space. The Saudis were a full partner in the coalition to get Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait.
But now, Saudi officials are hard to pin down on whether they would support a second war against Iraq.
Just last month, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal, in an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, appeared to reject the idea.
SAUD AL FAISAL, SAUDI ARABIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: We would cooperate with the Security Council, but as for entering the conflict, or using the facilities as part of the conflict, that's something else.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): And that's a no on that?
AL FAISAL: No.
ZAHN: But while Saudi Arabia has its reservations, so, too, does the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On September 11, all of those things which we had tolerated over the years are coming to a head.
ZAHN: Among the things the United States tolerated, past support for terrorists, discrimination against women and minorities, no freedom of speech, religion or the press.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We look the other way at our own peril. We've got to face reality in this. We need the Saudis, and they need us. But they've got to reduce the invective and the resourcing that's feeding this terror.
ZAHN: Some analysts argue that one thing that feeds the terror is the Saudi royal family support of the spread of Wahhabism. It is a radical form of Islam that is intolerant of other religions.
For its part, Saudi Arabia, like other Arab countries, resents the United States for its continuing support of Israel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What they see is the United States not doing enough to deal with the situation between Israel and Palestine, the United States not being tough enough on Prime Minister Sharon, particularly as regards to settlements.
ZAHN: All of these tensions complicate the U.S. goal of removing, or at the very least disarming, Saddam Hussein. So while the Bush administration may say privately that the Saudis have not done enough to fight terrorism, they send different signals publicly.
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president believes that Saudi Arabia is a good partner in the war on terrorism.
ZAHN: So, will the Saudis ultimately come around and support an American-led effort against Iraq?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They want to sit on the fence as long as possible, because they are very sensitive to opinion, not only domestically, but elsewhere in the Islamic world. And they want to be leaders. They don't want to be too far out in front.
ZAHN: U.S. officials now say they believe the Saudi government would allow American troops to use their military command center at Sultan Air Base and use Saudi air space.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They would not want a large presence of U.S. troops, but again, this may depend on the diplomacy up in front of the war. If Saddam Hussein clearly violates, there's a smoking gun piece of evidence that he's violated the U.N. Security Council resolutions, well, you know, that would make it easier for the Saudis to say, OK, go ahead, you can use our land.
ZAHN: Long-term, however, the Saudis fear what a U.S.-enforced regime change in Iraq could mean for their government and the royal family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They will be better off once Saddam Hussein is gone. But they do worry, and naturally so, that we might then decide to go on what some people might even call a crusade of bringing democracy -- American-style democracy to the Middle East. And if that happened, then everything is up for grabs in Saudi Arabia.
ZAHN: The Pentagon is not depending on the Saudis. The United States has installed a new command center at a base in the small Gulf state of Qatar, which could serve as the main headquarters in a war on Iraq.
So, if Qatar is emerging as such a vital player in a war against Iraq, where does the United States stand with the Saudis? Are they "friend or foe?"
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saudi Arabia is an ally in the war against Iraq, but its role in the broader campaign against terror is very ambivalent.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: And one U.S. official said the U.S.-Saudi relationship reminded him of an old Rolling Stones song -- quote -- "You can't always get what you want, but you'll get what you need."
We may not get our wish list, but we'll get enough.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
