Saudi prince: Iran is on 'explosive' path in Middle East
Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former ambassador to the U.S., says Washington shouldn't take military steps against Iran to reassure Israel.
By ReutersIran is on an "explosive" course in the Middle East with its pursuit of nuclear enrichment and needs to clear up questions surrounding its program, Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal said on Thursday.
Prince Turki, a former Saudi intelligence chief and former ambassador to the United States, said Washington should not take military steps against Iran's nuclear program to reassure Israelis over the peace process with Palestinians.
"No one denies that a nuclear Iran is a major international danger, but claiming that the U.S. must take military action against Iran to push forward the Israeli-Palestine peace process is to attempt to harvest apples by cutting down the tree," he said.
Prince Turki, discussing the Middle East peace process in a speech at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said a war over Iran's nuclear program would be "calamitous and not just catastrophic." It would turn back the clock on peacemaking across the Middle East, from Iraq to Israel, he said.
"The Iranians have to be aware of the explosive nature ... of pursuing their present course of enrichment," he said.
The United States last month announced plans to sell Saudi Arabia up to e60 billion in military aircraft, a deal designed to shore up Arab allies increasingly jittery over Iran's nuclear ambitions.
The United States and other countries are concerned that Iran's nuclear enrichment program is aimed at developing atomic weapons, but Tehran denies that. It says the enrichment program is to produce fuel for atomic power.
While the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty allows Iran to enrich uranium, "everybody recognizes that they have not lived up to the requirements" of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"They have to come clean on whatever it is that remains as question marks to the world community, and not just the United States and the West," he added.
Iran has indicated it is willing to meet world powers involved in talks over the nuclear dispute -- the United States, Germany, France, China, Britain and Russia -- later this month at a time and place to be determined.
It would be the first meeting of the group in more than a year and the first since the United Nations, the United States and the European Union imposed tougher sanctions on Iran earlier this year.
The world powers are hoping Iran will agree to a swap of low-enriched uranium in exchange for nuclear fuel to power the Tehran Research Reactor.
"We do believe that the Tehran Research Reactor offer can create some confidence building," U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said on Thursday.
He said the deal needed to be updated to account for additional uranium Iran has enriched over the past year, but Iran's envoy to the IAEA in Vienna dismissed that proposal earlier this week.
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Iranian soldiers simulate battle to mark the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war, September 26, 2010. |
| Photo by: Reuters |
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Saudi Arabia, with the financial, military and political backing of the US (and the green light of Israel of course), has been financing and promoting Islamic Sunni fundementalism and extremism across the world with their Wahhabi-Bedouin interpretation of Islam. The West saw an ally in this theocratic fiefdom in order to defeat the more securalist, progressive and democratic movements of the 60s and 70s and fight against the evil of the time, communism. The result was the spread of Wahhabi fundementalism in the West and the East. Saudi Arabia is as much, if not more, a threat to the Middle East as are Shia fundementalist of Iran and the Jewish fundementalist of Israel. God save us from them all!
All Arabs want a nuclear free zone in the Middle East. It is out of reach because Israel wishes to remain nuclear armed. With Israel armed, most Arabs feel safer with the idea of Iran being armed as well. Therein lies the rub. Iran’s solution is to sit on the fence, hovering close to a capability but not crossing the line. If you want to take the heat out of this, get rid of all the weapons with Iran party to the deal. Such a positive step would be a meaningful cooperative achievement for the area, welcomed by the world, and point the way to peaceful coexistence. Since this is not going to happen, you just have to live with it the way it is. Bombing Iran is not a serious option since anything short of active condemnation from neighbouring Arab states could well provoke domestic revolutions, jump start incipient Muslim cooperation and further Isolate Israel, perhaps fatally this time.
the us should not and will take no military action against iran just to "help" israel. like all nations, the usa looks after its own interests first and foremost. if israel decides to attack iran that would be a understandable if risky act of self defence.
This is just propaganda, yesteraday Iran met with OIC and hailed the Saudi/Iran ties.
"attempt to harvest apples by cutting down the tree," he said" I guess that Price Turki al Faisal is not aware of the fact that now days, the system of planting Apple trees and harvesting them 2 years later by cutting and collecting all the trees with the apples on them, is being done in real life by some growers!
THIS PRINCE IS JUST SO SCARED THAT IRAN WILL ESCALATE THE WAR IN CASE "BOMB" BY USA OR ISRAEL; HE NEEDS TO ASK HIS MILITARY COMMANDERS IF THE SAUDI MILITARY CAN HANDLE IRAN, SINCE SADDAM 's MILITARY WAS ABLE TO HANDLE FOR EIGHT YEARS AGAINST THE IRANIAN SOLDIERS USING "BOYS" IN THE BATTLE!
The Arabs can drink their oil. So the former ambassador pulls his Israeli card to shore up is Arab credentials, nothing new here. There are no plans by the US or Israel to attack Iran. The Saudis with their new airforce consider Israel the enemy; and in time they will be swallowed by Iran. (I don't care) What the ambassador really ment is that we should attack Iran to make the Saudi's feel secure.
every day i read and listento the israeli media no body speak about israel nuclear plant why if the world want afree midle east nuckliar then all the countrry inthe middle east should be free from atmic subtance including israel they shodnt be two laws afreemidle east is good for arab and jews they are fighting for walls and landsfor sixty two years and still fighing there is land for all tolie and ihope one day there is apeace
but in Israel's case, the explosive path is one of self defence. Iran's path is that of a psychotic, murderous, delusional psychopath.
And coming clean on the real Arab plans for Israel
The Saudis egged Iraq to fight Iran, on behest of US. Once Iraq was completely exhausted they and other Gulf states turned against it. The Saudi regime is a dishonorable regime.
but not to the america and EU version, they have agreed to a swap with the signed treaty by turkey and brazil, seems america is not happy when it's authority is in question.
Care to give your sources for ALL enrichment and its supervision by the IAEA as required by signed treaty?Hurry !the" folks "can't wait to hear.
These princes and kings cannot open their mouth without the consent of USA. All these Saudi royalties is controlled by USA. First these people should give voting right and freedom of speech to their people. Saudi govt is coward. May be they are going to hire some guns for hire from Pakistan and Bangladesh to protect their country.
They are already protecting Saudi Arabia in every branch of her defense force....while Saudis gamble in London and Las Vagas
trying to get an American green light for an attack on Iran in exchange for a freeze in settlements is insane. The reduction of the threat posed by Iran can be achieved by Israel's compliance with long standing UN resolutions and withdrawel to a pre 1967 territorial border. Even Hamas has confirmed that it will accept those borders. Peace is there for those who want it.
There is a problem of interpretation. The resolution requires that Israel withdraw to secure borders, not the original borders. Moreover, it took 50 years for the Pals to get slightly interested in anything other than the wholesale slaughter of Israelis. Their fundamental principles still call for the elimination of Israel, so neither Hamas, nor the Fatah, have formally taken the step of committing themselves to reconciliation of Israel under any circumstances.
"No one denies that a nuclear Iran is a major international danger..." and yet, when asked, the majority of Saudis think Iran has the right to its nuclear program (including those who, like the Prince, are convinced that the most frequently inspected civilian nuclear program is actually a weapons program) and that a nuclear armed Iran would either improve the situation, or not make any difference. (based on the annual survey of the Saudis conducted by the University of Maryland and Zogby International)
.. works well if you want to plant oranges but seriously great quote.
With total military supremacy, the region's only nuclear arsenal, and the world's only superpower under a hypnotic spell, she's frightened... Kind of telling, really. Switzerland doesn't fear that its reality could evaporate if it's not endlessly reasserted.
Of course they have nothing to fear, except, of course, that they will be found out for stealing money from the mouths of corpses and babes and being complicit in tax evasion. Look Colin, the Swiss are not Jews. They do not have two milline of abuse and exploitation and they don't have the Muslim world fighting viciously to displace them. They will and we have seen the beginnings of that.
And openly calling for Switzerlands destruction as it is the sad reality for Israel
is the population of both countries and education is rated higly. other than that, short of exchanging places on the map i see no point in comparing the two.
about losing one soldier. here, one soldier lost is almost on its own a failed war. so yes, people are frightened. because even if we manage (like always) to completely take control over our enemies, we lose soldiers on the way, and this frightens us. only the day everyone on this planet will be thinking that way, will there be peace
Can the most powerful nations in the world grasp this?
Your joking aren't you?
This is the "moral" level of this talkback.
To that extent you can't help but support the Saudis. But it would be nice if they'd do us a favor and lower the price of their oil.
it would help if our U.S. guberment stops printing so many dollars out of thin air which makes the dollar worth less and less.
The Saudis lost the ability to lower the world price of oil long ago. Now if they want to spike it until Israel capitulates, they could do that, but they have not shown any willingness to do that, YET.
The Saudis,with all the weapons and assurances they get from the US still don't feel safe in their country and are scared to death of their Persian neighbors who spend a fraction of what the Saudis spend on weapons.You'll think that after putting an order for arms worth $60 billion from the US,this prince will know a thing or two about explosive paths.How sad.
And the new crop of people elected are out to put the US into default if the budget is not balanced, this year. That is a $1 trillion cut in current expenditures. The US can't attack anybody. We have to bring existing forces home or leave them stranded without ammo or food or fuel.
yup, facts of life...israels big benefactor is not rich enough (anymore) to invade iran at this point in time. bringing democracy and enlightment to countries who never wanted it in the first place is a costly business.that possibly went out with george w.
The only solution is disarm all nations from nukes.
And exactly how do you plan to do that?
of the "Israeli problem". What you say makes sense, if somehow, and I can't image how, you can even the military playing field between Israel and the entire Arab world. Good luck. Until then, we know whatever it is Israel has, it has been responsible about its non-use. It is undoubtedly being saved for a final scenario in the hope it will never have to be used.
Country of the vast majority of 9/11 pilots and masterminds of the latest mail bombing wave shouldn't be taken seriously as advisor on how to deal with nuclear threats.
israel has no oil and is totally dependent on us-handouts, so kicking and shouting is all it can do.