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To: TobagoJack who wrote (48873)	4/21/2004 10:02:11 AM
From: elmatador	Respond to of 74559

Prince pours boiling oil on US election By Roula Khalaf Published: April 20 2004 19:41 \| Last Updated: April 20 2004 19:41 Prince Bandar bin-Sultan, Saudi Arabia's long-serving ambassador in Washington, has a knack for attracting controversy. His close relations with American politicians, including the Bush family, and his behind-the-scenes dealings have helped sustain the US-Saudi relationship for the past two decades. But a flashy lifestyle and bold, often outrageous, comments, have also made him something of a liability for the Saudi royal family. Having adopted a lower profile after the September 11 attacks, which put unprecedented strain on the US-Saudi relationship, he is now back in the spotlight thanks to Bob Woodward's just published "Plan of Attack", a book on the Iraqi war. According to Mr Woodward, in January 2003 Prince Bandar was shown classified war plans. The prince is also said to have reassured the White House that the Saudis would "fine-tune" oil prices to "prime the economy" for 2004, thus helping President George W. Bush's re-election. Aspects of the allegations have been disputed by both sides but the book has turned the US-Saudi relationship into an electoral issue. John Kerry, Mr Bush's democratic presidential challenger, seized on the claims, saying it would be "outrageous and unacceptable" if the administration had reached a "secret" deal with the Saudis. Campaigning in Florida on Monday, Mr Kerry pledged to end a "sweetheart relationship with a bunch of Arab countries" that allow money to flow to radical Middle Eastern organisations. Senator Charles Schumer, a democrat from New York, went further. He was quoted as calling on Mr Bush to deport Prince Bandar "to safeguard the integrity of the American electoral process." Prince Bandar's alleged role in war-planning is less surprising if considered within the broader context of US-Saudi ties. Despite its strong opposition to American policies in the Middle East and anger at US criticism of its role in funding religious extremism, Riyadh has maintained close co-operation with Washington. Crown Prince Abdullah, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, tried hard to persuade Mr Bush not to invade Iraq. But once the US had taken the decision, Riyadh went along with it, while publicly claiming to be on the sidelines. A western diplomat in Riyadh says: "Bandar always had very high access and, at a certain point, the US realised it couldn't do the Iraq plan without Saudi support. The Saudis were part of the plan. What is often overlooked is that the US had more coalition aircraft based in Saudi than anywhere else during the war." The Saudis have been more troubled by the allegation that Prince Bandar had promised to bring down oil prices before the US presidential election. Adel al-Jubeir, foreign policy adviser to Crown Prince Abdullah, the country's ruler, insisted the kingdom would not manipulate prices for political purposes. Western diplomats in Riyadh say the Woodward claims may simply reflect an exaggeration by Prince Bandar of the Saudi position - that the kingdom is committed to a stable oil policy that benefits producers and consumers. Saudi Arabia has often increased production during crises, including the Iraqi war. According to the White House, Prince Bandar told US officials after an output cut by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries this month that the kingdom wanted to make sure prices remained in a range of $22-$28. Prices have been far above this since December. Indeed Saudi Arabia has been accused in recent months of pushing up prices. Facing a violent campaign by Islamist militants associated with the al-Qaeda network, the Saudi regime has relished the rise in oil revenues. It is unclear why Riyadh would seek to help Mr Bush's re-election, particularly after his endorsement last week of Israel's retention of parts of the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967. The US position was a direct rebuff to Crown Prince Abdullah's Middle East peace plan, which calls for a return to the 1967 border lines. With Saudi bashing popular among US politicians, Riyadh's main concern has been to avoid becoming an issue in the US presidential race. "It would be foolish for them to seem to be using oil and meddling in US politics," says a diplomat. But, accidentally or not, Saudi Arabia has been thrust into American domestic politics. Prince Bandar may find it harder to stay behind the scenes this time. news.ft.com