Post Reply 
 
Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
US pressing for Saudi help in Pakistan
12-04-2010, 12:47 PM
Post: #1
US pressing for Saudi help in Pakistan
CAIRO (December 04, 2010) : The United States has been pushing its powerhouse ally Saudi Arabia to help stabilise Pakistan and Afghanistan, but it has struggled to overcome the kingdom's deep mistrust of Pakistan's president and doubts over US strategy for reining in militants, leaked US diplomatic memos show. The memos released on the WikiLeaks website this week show differences in strategy between Washington and Saudi Arabia.

American diplomats have been pressing the kingdom to throw its weight behind President Asif Ali Zardari with financial aid and intelligence help against the Pakistani Taliban and militant groups who have been crossing the border into Afghanistan to battle Nato and Afghan troops.

The pressure seems to have brought some grudging progress. But Saudi officials appear wary of aggressive action by the Pakistani military against insurgents in Pakistan, advising instead greater outreach to unruly tribes to rein in militants. Above all, they seem convinced Zardari is too corrupt to keep the country together _ and would prefer a military strongman or Saudi Arabia's top ally in Pakistan, former prime minister and now opposition leader Nawaz Sharif.

Saudi King Abdullah told President Barack Obama's then-national security adviser The Pakistani ambassador to Riyadh, Umar Khan Alisherzai, complained to the Americans that the Saudis perceive Zardari as ``pro-Iranian and pro-Shia, which made them apprehensive about working with him.' Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia is deeply worried about mainly Shia Iran's growing influence in the Middle East and Afghanistan-Pakistan region and fears Tehran is seeking to build a nuclear weapon, an accusation Iran denies.

``We have been punished by Saudi Arabia because our president talks to the Iranians,' Alisherzai said, according to an October 2009 memo. Instead, Saudi Arabia has pushed for a greater role for Sharif, who spent years in exile in Saudi Arabia and who has close ties with Ihard-liners in Pakistan. In 2008, before Zardari's election, Saud touted Sharif as ``a force for stability' able to talk to ``religious extremists who are not usually open to dialogue,' according to another US Embassy memo.

As recently as February, the Saudis were promoting Sharif, saying he could ``play a great role in working with tribal chiefs' and arguing that ``money is better than bullets in the fight against the Taliban,' the embassy reported. In March last year, Obama's special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, pressed Saudi officials to work with Zardari, warning that instability could lead to Pakistan's nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands.

Holbrooke said US-Saudi co-operation on Pakistan ``needed to rise to a higher level.' He urged the kingdom to provide economic assistance to Pakistan and help get Zardari and Sharif to work together, according to an embassy report on his talks with Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, a senior counter-terror chief.

Nearly a year later, in February, the US Embassy reported some progress, noting ``close military and intelligence co-operation' between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and greater economic aid, with Saudi Arabia disbursing at that time half of $700 million it pledged to Pakistan. It also said the kingdom had begun taking action against Saudis who send funding the Taliban and Laskhar-e-Taiba.

Still, it said, the Saudis were frustrated in efforts to reconcile between Sharif and Zardari, complaining that ``compromise seemed alien to Pakistan politicians.' ``The Saudis generally agree that there is a need to deny terrorists safe havens in Pakistan, but question whether the methods we have outlined will be effective,' Ambassador James B. Smith wrote. ``The tumultuous democratic process in Pakistan makes the Saudis nervous, and they appear to be looking for 'another Musharraf': a strong, forceful leader they know they can trust,' he added, referring to former Pakistani strongman General Pervez Musharraf.
Visit this user's website Find all posts by this user
Quote this message in a reply
Post Reply 


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread: Author Replies: Views: Last Post
  Pakistan receives US$2 billion in financial support from Saudi Arabia LRE-Azan 0 594 04-08-2023 02:21 PM
Last Post: LRE-Azan
  Saudi Fund announces $57m for Golen Gol Hydropower Project Salman 0 6,862 11-20-2013 03:19 PM
Last Post: Salman
  Haj scam: FIA team leaves for Saudi Arabia today Lahore_Real_Estate 0 3,970 12-13-2010 01:34 PM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate
  Hajj Odyssey Part 1: Pakistani and Saudi models of governance resemble starkly Lahore_Real_Estate 0 4,284 12-08-2010 01:53 PM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate
  WikiLeaks: Saudi plan for anti-Hezbollah force Lahore_Real_Estate 0 4,229 12-08-2010 01:11 PM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate
  Saudi warns US of possible attack: report Lahore_Real_Estate 0 3,972 11-06-2010 12:31 PM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate
  Corruption in Hajj Ministry & Saudi Prince LRE 3 9,229 11-05-2010 10:38 AM
Last Post: LRE
  Saudi fatwa bars women from working as cashiers Lahore_Real_Estate 0 3,677 11-02-2010 06:02 PM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate
  Saudi Prince in British Court: Gets 20 Years Imprisonment! LRE 0 3,569 10-21-2010 09:51 AM
Last Post: LRE
  Saudi Arabia announces Eidul Fitr on Friday Lahore_Real_Estate 0 3,482 09-09-2010 10:40 AM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate
  Saudi Arabia's pledge tops $124 million Lahore_Real_Estate 0 3,279 08-19-2010 01:12 PM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate
  Karzai Begs Saudi Arabia for Peace Talks with Taliban LRE 0 3,260 02-05-2010 06:42 AM
Last Post: LRE
  Saudi Development Fund to finance new projects in Pakistan LahoreEstate 0 3,535 02-04-2010 09:10 AM
Last Post: LahoreEstate
  Saudi air force hits Yemen rebels after border raid Naveed Yaseen 0 3,061 11-06-2009 06:28 AM
Last Post: Naveed Yaseen
  Obama seeks Pak, Saudi support for talks with Taliban Naveed Yaseen 0 4,266 11-02-2009 06:55 AM
Last Post: Naveed Yaseen
  Saudi-released Pakistanis arrive in Islamabad LRE 0 3,207 10-03-2009 12:54 AM
Last Post: LRE
  Saudi Arabia launches first co-education university Naveed Yaseen 0 5,962 09-24-2009 05:23 AM
Last Post: Naveed Yaseen
  One Saudi phone call will silence Musharraf trial seekers: Mushahid Naveed Yaseen 0 2,908 09-02-2009 05:28 AM
Last Post: Naveed Yaseen
  Saudi Arabia: Extramarital sex on the rise under legal cover of 'Misyar' Naveed Yaseen 0 6,823 08-26-2009 09:19 AM
Last Post: Naveed Yaseen
  Saudi Arabia blocks entry by UAE ID cards due to disputed border image Naveed Yaseen 0 3,760 08-24-2009 05:51 AM
Last Post: Naveed Yaseen

Forum Jump:


User(s) browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)