[Al-Firdaus]

US Embassy Employee Targeted By Saudi Dissidents
Aug 31, 2004
By Bilal Abdul, JUS

Yesterday a car traveling in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia carrying an employee of the US Embassy and driver was hit by gunfire. No one was injured in the attack as the driver and passenger sped away. The attackers escaped as well.

Foreign nationals continue to be targets in the Kingdom. Government officials claim that they have the situation under control however events on the ground show otherwise and that foreigners, especially Americans, are at risk in the country.

[Al-Firdaus]

www.albawaba.com
September 26, 2004
French national shot dead in Saudi Arabia

A French national was shot dead at Al-Zahra neighborhood in the Saudi city of Jeddah early Sunday, the Saudi Interior Ministry announced. According to an official statement, "the concerned security authorities were following up the incident." A Saudi source disclosed to The AP the victim worked in the French Consulate and was hit while driving in the Al-Tarikh area of the Red Sea port city. (albawaba.com)

[Al-Firdaus]

Saudi Arabia cuts oil sales to U.S., ups China
By Thom J. Rose
UPI Correspondent

Washington, DC, Sep. 16 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia, long the largest supplier of oil to the United States, has cut U.S. sales dramatically and may soon no longer be among the top five largest U.S. suppliers.

The Saudi kingdom's new largest customer is China.

"Saudi sales to the U.S. have fallen off the table," James Placke, a senior associate at Cambridge Energy Research Associates and former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, said Thursday. Saudi oil sales to the United States peaked in 2002 at 1.7 million barrels per day but had fallen to 1.1 million barrels per day in May, the last month for which U.S. Department of Energy figures are available, Placke said at a Washington forum.

Placke, who has monitored Saudi oil sales for decades, said Saudi Arabia's traditional large share of the U.S. oil market has been a function of the country's special close relationship with the United States -- a tie that may be weakening. "Saudi Arabia has been at the top for several decades, and that's by design. To the Saudi establishment, that position was an important element in maintaining what was known as the 'strategic relationship,'" Placke said. He said the Saudis used subtle methods that are no longer in place to lower the prices of their oil for U.S. customers and increase their market share in the United States.

Placke said Saudi Arabia's turn away from the U.S. market began at the end of 2002 as the United States was preparing to go to war in Iraq. "I think, while there was what has generally been described as a sufficient degree of cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United States, (the invasion of Iraq) clearly was not in tune with Saudi Arabia or really anyone else in the Arab world for that matter," Placke said. "I think what we're seeing is not punishment or retribution, but I think it's a slow recognition by the Saudi side that the 'special relationship' isn't so special anymore," he added.

Thomas Lippman, an adjunct scholar and oil expert at the Middle East Institute in Washington, stressed that the reduction in Saudi oil sales to the United States does not threaten the supply of oil to the United States. "It is absolutely true that oil has no nationality," Lippman said. "It's also true that the record shows that even states or state producers in countries with which we have terrible relations will continue to sell oil to us because they need the money. It was true in Libya, it was true in Iran."

Placke said Canada and Mexico -- which he said were almost tied for the largest U.S. supplier -- have picked up much of the slack left by Saudi Arabia's retreat, along with Nigeria. "The only consequence of this is I think a political consequence," Placke said. "This may color how the two parties look at each other as we go down the road." Gregory Gause, an associate professor of political science at the University of Vermont, said the details of Saudi oil sales are much less important than Saudi production capacity, which the country often uses to smooth jolts to world oil prices like the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, the Iraq War or strikes in Venezuela.

"The Saudis have basically played the role of the central bank," Gause said. "We're at a point where there's precious little surplus capacity." A large source of the reduction in the world's excess capacity has been China's burgeoning appetite for oil. Placke said China recently surpassed Japan in its oil consumption and is currently the world's second-largest oil market behind the United States. Lippman said, however, that building consumption might be only part of the reason Saudi Arabia is turning its attention to China.

"It seems to me that there is a certain logic for the Saudis in looking around and saying, well wait a minute, we need a good relationship with a country that is a permanent member of the (U.N.) Security Council, is a strong a growing market for our oil, is a nuclear power and, by the way, is untainted by having invaded any Arab countries," Lippman said.

Placke said he considers the Saudi shift "part of the rebalancing of relationships around the world after the Cold War." He said the beginnings of the drift between Saudi Arabia and the United States began with the loss of the common cause of opposing Soviet expansion. "I can't quite stretch my imagination far enough to imagine Saudi Arabia and the Chinese having the kind of relationship that Saudi Arabia and the United States once had and no longer have," Placke added.

http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breakin...2200-9276r.htm

[Al-Firdaus]

Saudi scholars: Support Iraqi fighters

Saturday 06 November 2004 - Prominent Saudi religious scholars have called on Iraqis to support fighters battling US-led forces, saying fighting the presence of foreign troops is a duty and a right. In an open letter addressed to the Iraqi people and posted on the internet on Saturday, 26 Saudi scholars and religious preachers stressed that armed attacks launched by Iraqi groups on US troops and their allies in Iraq were "legitimate" resistance.

The statement came as US troops, backed by air and artillery power, were gearing up for a major assault on Falluja. The scholars - some of whom have been criticised in the past for their views - issued a fatwa, or religious edict, prohibiting Iraqis from offering any support for military operations carried out by US forces against anti-US fighter strongholds.

"Fighting the occupiers is a duty for all those who are able. It is a jihad (holy war) to push back the assailants ...," said the letter dated 5 November. "Resistance is a legitimate right. A Muslim must not inflict harm on any resistance man or inform about them. Instead, they should be supported and protected," it said.

'Extraordinary situation'

Among the 26 scholars who signed the letter are influential Sunni Muslim clerics Shaikh Safar al-Hawali, Shaikh Nassir al-Umar, Shaikh Salman al-Awdah, Shaikh Sharif Hatim al-Auni and Shaikh Awad al-Qarni. Al-Hawali - jailed in the 1990s for five years without trial because of his criticism of US involvement in the 1991 Gulf War - is known for his radical views and was once close to Usama bin Ladin.

Like many Islamic activists, al-Hawali also opposed the presence of US troops in Saudi Arabia. His name appeared this month on a list issued by a group of Arab intellectuals who seek prosecution of prominent clerics for encouraging what they say is terrorism. The religious scholars said their appeal was prompted by "the extraordinary situation through which the Iraqis are passing which calls for unity and exchange of views."

Stressing the need for national unity, the scholars said inter-Iraqi fighting would cause "great damage to the Iraqis and give a free service to the Jews who are infiltrating into Iraq and to the coalition forces which exploit differences to consolidate their domination".

Muslims must be spared

The scholars also urged Iraqis fighting US-led forces in Iraq to spare the lives of Iraqi Muslims and not to target citizens of countries that refused to join the US-led force that invaded Iraq last year. The invasion angered many in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and home to its two holiest cities. The Saudi government has launched a military campaign against anti-government fighters that started after al-Qaida-affiliated operatives attacked three residential compounds in Riyadh in May 2003. Several more attacks followed and a number of Westerners have been killed. The government also began an anti-extremism campaign, reining in clerics who espoused radical views.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exer...7B0F1CCEEB.htm

[angelize56]

UK says Saudi attacks in 'final stages' of planning

Monday, August 08, 2005 11:25 a.m. ET

RIYADH (Reuters) - Britain warned on Monday that militants were in the final stages of planning attacks in Saudi Arabia as Washington shut its missions there for two days and Australia told its citizens to avoid travel to the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia, battling a two-year campaign of violence by supporters of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, said it had no solid information of any imminent attack in the oil giant.

"There are credible reports that terrorists are in the final stages of planning attacks," said an updated advisory posted on the Web site of the British embassy in the capital Riyadh.

Earlier, Britain cited "credible reports" that militants were planning attacks in the near future. It said Britons in the kingdom should maintain the highest level of vigilance.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs told Australians to avoid travel to the kingdom, saying militants might be planning attacks on housing compounds.

"We have received credible reports that terrorists are planning attacks in Saudi Arabia in the near future," the department said on its Web site.

"This follows other recent reporting suggesting that terrorists may be planning to attack residential housing compounds in Saudi Arabia."

The security warnings, combined with worries the United States may face a gasoline shortage, helped propel oil prices to another record high.

Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, already has high security around oil installations. Militants have waged a bombing campaign in the kingdom since 2003 to expel Westerners from Islam's birthplace and destabilize the pro-U.S. government.

The warnings came a day after the American embassy in Riyadh said all U.S. diplomatic missions would be closed on Aug. 8 and 9 in response to threats of attacks on U.S. buildings.

It warned of "ongoing security concerns" in the area, including for seaborne vessels traveling in the Red Sea.

King Abdullah, who came to power this month after King Fahd died, is expected to continue the crackdown on militants, which analysts say has eroded al Qaeda's network in Saudi Arabia.

Suicide bombers have hit several compounds housing foreigners, and militants also staged a daylight raid on the U.S. consulate in Jeddah. At least 91 foreign nationals and Saudi civilians have been killed in the violence.

Last month, the United States warned Americans in Saudi Arabia that militants were planning fresh attacks and later banned military personnel from traveling around the kingdom.

That warning came as Saudi security forces said they found an arms cache outside Riyadh with two tonnes of chemicals used by suspected al Qaeda militants to make bombs.

Authorities have killed or arrested all but three men on a list of 26 most wanted suspects published in 2003. In June, officials listed another 36 wanted men they are still hunting.

http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/s...toryId=1073190

[angelize56]

Pretty sad considering how close to the holy days it is for these people....and what are the odds of being in a building when it collapses!

Death toll rises to 53 in Saudi hostel collapse

Friday, January 06, 2006 7:36 a.m. ET

MECCA, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - At least 53 people were killed this week in the collapse of a Mecca hostel where Muslim pilgrims were staying for this year's haj, a Saudi official said on Friday.

Saudi authorities had said at least 18 people died when the hostel in the Muslim holy city of Mecca collapsed on Thursday.

The Interior Minister official said the number of dead could rise further as rescue teams continue to clear away rubble from the building, which collapsed in the mid-day bustle of a narrow market street.

The official put the number of injured at 62. The building was at least six storeys high and 30 years old.

http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/s...toryId=1140513

[angelize56]

What a nightmare!

At least 345 pilgrims killed in Saudi haj crush

Thursday, January 12, 2006 4:15 p.m. ET

By Heba Kandil

MENA, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - At least 345 Muslim pilgrims were crushed to death on Thursday during a stoning ritual on the last day of the haj, the worst tragedy to beset the sacred event in more than a decade.

Saudi officials said the pilgrims were crushed at the eastern entrance of Mena's disaster-prone Jamarat Bridge as they jostled to perform the stoning between noon and sunset in Mena, a narrow valley near the holy city of Mecca.

"So far, the number of confirmed deaths is 345 and the number of injured in hospital is 289," Health Minister Hamad al-Manei told Saudi state television, adding that many had been discharged.

http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/s...toryId=1143298

[angelize56]

U.S. Navy on 'High Alert' in Persian Gulf

Friday, Oct. 27, 2006

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Coalition naval forces in the Gulf are on watch for possible terror threats to oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, Western naval officials said Friday.

A British navy official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press, said a threat from al-Qaida last month to target Gulf oil terminals had resulted in stepped-up security and vigilance at Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura terminal, as well as a refinery in Bahrain.

Oil exports in the region were proceeding as normal, he said.

The British navy, part of the Italian-led Coalition Task Force 152 that patrols international waters off the Ras Tanura terminal, sent an e-mail warning on Friday asking merchant shippers in the region of Bahrain and eastern Saudi Arabia to be on alert for suspicious vessels or other activity.

The British official said the coalition ships were confining their patrols to international waters and had not been invited by Saudi Arabia to patrol inside its territorial waters near the terminal.

"The Saudis are very protective of their patch," the British official in Dubai said, describing the patrols as normal naval operations that had been under way since 2002, albeit on a heightened state for the past month.

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/arti...7/121208.shtml