Frustration with Saudis fires talk of U.S. pullout
Wednesday, January 16, 2002
Washington -- A number of senior officials in Congress and the Pentagon are saying the United States should consider withdrawing military forces from Saudi Arabia because of frustration over what they consider the kingdom's tepid support for the war on terrorism and the restrictions it places on U.S. military operations.
The dismay with Saudi Arabia ranges widely. In Congress, there is a broad sense that the Saudis are not doing enough to rein in Islamic militants. Some lawmakers also hold the Saudi government responsible for a Pentagon requirement that American servicewomen wear head-to-toe robes when traveling outside their Saudi bases, a rule being challenged in a lawsuit brought by a female Air Force major against the U.S. military.
In the Pentagon, a growing number of commanders are frustrated with the Saudis' refusal to allow U.S. warplanes based at a sprawling airfield south of Riyadh to bomb Iraq and other Islamic countries, except in self-defense. "We're pretty heavily invested in Saudi right now," a senior military official said. "But if the opportunity arose to operate somewhere else in the region, we'd be pretty interested."
In the sharpest and most recent expression of frustration, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., who is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said yesterday that he had "an uneasy feeling" that the Saudis were not doing enough to crack down on Islamic terrorists and that U.S. forces were "not particularly wanted" there.
"They act as though somehow or another they're doing us a favor," Levin told reporters. "And I think the war against terrorism has got to be fought by countries who really realize that it's in everybody's interest to go after terrorism."
In a statement, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, said the two nations "share the goal of peace and the end of terrorism. I have great respect for Senator Levin, but I am surprised by his statement."
It is widely acknowledged in military circles that the Pentagon would have a hard time replacing a high-tech air operations center it opened last summer at Prince Sultan Air Base outside Riyadh.
For that reason, some members of Congress say the United States cannot afford to move its forces out of Saudi Arabia, particularly while tensions in the region remain high.
"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been a valued partner in the Persian Gulf region for many years, particularly during the Persian Gulf War in 1991," said Sen. John Warner, R-Va., who is the ranking minority member on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
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