nytimes.com
The Saudis wanted their nationals out of American clutches in
a hurry, and in Washington, what Bandar wants, Bandar gets.
With seeming frankness and delicious leaks, the pilot-prince
charms diplomats, disarms journalists (did you catch his
recent media blitz?) and gets the Kingdom's way.
Such deference infuriates F.B.I. agents who remember the
terror bombing that killed four Americans who were training
the Saudi National Guard six years ago in Riyadh. Before the
F.B.I. could query those rounded up about links to bin
Laden, Saudi "justice" forced confessions from these bin
Laden worshipers and promptly beheaded them; dead men
told no tales.
Worse was the stonewalling by Saudi royalty of the F.B.I.'s
investigation of the massacre of 19 American airmen in
Dhahran's Khobar Towers. The F.B.I. was not allowed to
interview terrorist suspects nor to examine the getaway car;
instead, our agents were shown selected videos. When a
federal grand jury here finally indicted 13 Saudis, the
Kingdom blew us off; no trial has been held there because the
accused would expose corruption on high.
Prince Bandar was no help to State or the F.B.I. in finding the
terrorists behind these two separate murders of Americans by
Saudi terrorists. But after 7,000 more Americans died at the
hands of Saudi radicals, and the royal family wanted its and
bin Laden's relatives yanked home, Bandar said "Jump" and
the U.S. replied, "How high?"
The reason for our sensitivity to Saudi royalty's feelings is
that Colin Powell is again into "coalition-building." Our
invitation seems to say, "Help us catch this particular terrorist
gang now and all is forgiven."To other Arab states, that
message is in danger of being refined to "Just give us names
and hideouts so we can kill the terrorists who bombed us, and
we'll pay you for it by leaning on the Israelis to appease the
terrorists who are bombing them."......................................
But let us not pay too much for too little. Saudi intelligence
will rat on Iranian Hezbollah terrorists, but not on Hamas, and
certainly not on the Saudi money trail to Al Qaeda. |
