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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (21839)	3/22/2002 7:23:25 PM
From: LLLefty	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

>>>>Reuters says that the US officially complained to Saudi Arabia about printing the blood libel<<<<< It would be interesting, if we only could, to follow the process that resulted in the US complaint to the Saudis. I don't recall seeing anything in the major U.S dailies about the story. After all, this kind of stuff, while perhaps not usually as detailed and graphic, regularly appears in the Saudi, Egyptian, Syrian, Palestinian and other controlled Arab media. It is generally brushed off by State--and the press--just as more of the same; been going on for years. Nothing new, nothing newsworthy. But, apparently, word got around to Jewish organizations and individuals and they barraged State that, hey, this is just too much, this coming from the same country that says it wants normal relations with Israel? What are you going to do about it? At State, the NEA-Saudi desk officer, whose phone is ringing off the hook, kicks it upstairs. How high should it go? Higher and higher, maybe to Depsec Armitage. to Powell himself? (Powell grew up in a Jewish neighborhood in NY but clearly escaped being used for making Matzos when he was a boy.) Should Powell call...who? How about calling Saudi Ambassador Prince Bander. But's probably at his Colorado layout in Aspen and on the ski slopes. Or should our Ambassaodor to Saudi, a Texas political appointee, make a demarche as well? Well, political ambassadors generally don't like to complain to their hosts unless sordered; they like to be on the good side. And if he were to complain, he should ask for an appointment with Foreign Minister Prince Saud el-Faisal. Maybe, instead, he could just drop off a piece of paper. The Voice of America was easy. State controls the VOA and an editorial can be ordered at a fairly low level. Now, the VOA is an interesting melange of nationalities.. Most of the language broadcasters are from their native lands and, often, they've brought with them their old ethnic rivalries. The Greek service looks past its desk at the Turkish service and vice versa. Expat Palestinians are numerous in the Arabic service. Pakistani Urdu speakers work not far from Hindi broadcasters. And there's the Armenians and Bulgarians. Did they all broadcast the editorial? Did, above all, did the Arabic service broadcast it? Just once or more or, for that matter, not at all? I wish I could answer my own questions but I'm stuck inside a cottage along the Delaware coast because it's freezing and windy outside and I've got nothing else to do but think big questions. I should have brought mre reading matter.