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Saudis Desperate for Russian Help
April 23, 2002
Summary
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al Faisal traveled to Moscow April 18 to seek Russia's help in countering a belligerent U.S. agenda against Iraq. But Saudi Arabia has little to offer Russia and will likely leave empty-handed, so Riyadh will have few options left but to ally with rogue nations Iran and Iraq.
Foreign Affairs Ministry Complex, Riyadh.
Image Credit: Saudinf.com.
Analysis
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al Faisal traveled to Moscow April 18 to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. The three talked about Iraq, the recent Saudi-proposed Israeli-Palestinian peace plan and Moscow's involvement in the Middle East.
Thursday, April 18, 2002
Russian President Vladimir Putin invites Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal to start talks in Kremlin. Vladimir Putin expressed his concern about the fate of Yasser Arafat who remains confined to his headquarters by Israeli troops.
Image Credit: Yuri Kochetokov, Pool -- The Associated Press.
Saudi Arabia is seeking Russia's help to counter the U.S. agenda in the Middle East. Frightened by the potential consequences of a U.S. strike against Iraq, Riyadh hopes to reverse Moscow's waning support of Baghdad and revive its involvement in Middle East politics. But the Saudi government won't get much more than rhetoric from Russia, and this will leave it looking for allies among the same rogue nations already targeted by Washington.
Thursday, April 18, 2002Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, right, speaks to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal during their meeting in Moscow. Prince Saud al-Faisal called on the international community Thursday to apply the same pressure on Israel to withdraw from West Bank cities as it has on Yasser Arafat to renounce terrorism.
Image Credit: Ivan Sekretearev -- The Associated Press.
A possible Saudi-Iraq-Iran coalition to resist U.S. pressure -- even a temporary one built out of necessity -- would entirely reshape regional politics and pose a significant dilemma to the United States. None of the three trust each other, even though technically Iran and Saudi Arabia have a security cooperation agreement. But together they could bring greater political and economic pressure to bear on the smaller Persian Gulf states, upon which Washington grows increasingly reliant.
The government in Riyadh is worried that a U.S. war against Iraq would incite opposition within Saudi Arabia. It has already tried to counter the U.S. agenda by reviving the Middle East peace process and attempting to bring all the Arab states on board. However, Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah's efforts at coalition building -- meant to deflect U.S. pressure for cooperation against Iraq -- failed miserably. Almost half the Arab heads of state failed to show at the March 26-27 Arab League summit in Beirut.
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(Story Source)
(c) 2002 Stratfor, Inc.
Dan
Saudis Desperate for Russian Help . . .