Saudi Prince Assails Bush's Mideast Legacy

Fmr. Ambassador Says U.S.-Saudi Relations Are At Risk Without Major Policy Changes

(AP)  Saudi Arabia's ex-ambassador to Washington said former President George W. Bush left a "sickening legacy" in the Middle East and warned that U.S.-Saudi relations would be at risk if the Obama administration doesn't change America's policy in the region.

Prince Turki al-Faisal's unusually tough words were the latest blunt assessment by the Saudi royal family that prospects for Arab-Israeli peace are growing dim unless dramatic policy changes are made.

Turki said he strongly promoted the Arab-Israeli peace process in his decades as a public servant. But after Israel's three-week assault in the Gaza Strip, the prince said, "these pleas for optimism and co-operation now seem a distant memory," he said in a Financial Times op-ed published Friday.

The kingdom has resisted calls for a holy war against Israel, "but every day this restraint becomes more difficult to maintain," he added.

The comments followed a warning from King Abdullah on Monday that his 2002 Arab-Israeli peace initiative won't remain on the table forever.

"America is not innocent in this calamity," said Turki, who is the chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh. "Not only has the Bush administration left a sickening legacy in the region, but it has also, through an arrogant attitude about the butchery in Gaza, contributed to the slaughter of innocents."

The impassioned comments are a departure from the oil-rich kingdom's normally diplomatic rhetoric toward the U.S., its longtime ally. The Bush family has had strong ties with the Saudi royal family, and Turki's harsh public comments about Bush were rare.

Analysts say the king had to send a clear message after Israel's assault in Gaza left almost 1,300 Palestinians dead. A cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which rules Gaza, was in its sixth day Saturday.

"The tone had to change to confront the violence and extremism on the other side," said Dawood al-Shirian, a prominent Saudi columnist.

Turki also urged President Barack Obama to "strongly promote the Abdullah peace initiative." The 2002 initiative, relaunched in March 2007, offers Israel collective Arab recognition in exchange for withdrawal from territory it occupied in the 1967 war, the establishment of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital and a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem.

Israel has said the initiative could be a starting point for discussion.

The Saudi prince said Obama must address the Gaza crisis, including condemning both Hamas' rocket firing and Israel's "atrocities against Palestinians" and supporting a U.N. resolution to that effect. Israel says it launched the offensive to stop Hamas militants from firing rockets into Israel.

During his first week in office, Obama struck themes familiar from the Bush administration. He backed Israel's right to defend itself, criticized rocket attacks on Israel by Hamas, lamented civilian deaths in Gaza and favored an international effort to develop a durable cease-fire.

On Friday, Abdullah discussed the Mideast in a telephone call with Obama, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. No details were available.

[enriquecaliente]

These are the very same people who have allowed radical Islam to flourish. They are the most corrupt people in power and the world. They''ve played both ends from the middle. Now they''re complaining.?

[mom_o_truth]

PERFECT TIMING for clean up action that is well orchestrated with D-I-C-K-s Administration, not Bush. Holocaust the GAZA garbage with Napalm bombs killing over 1300 civilians before the new Obama administration can take any action. Forget the UN protest and all those who voice their disgust about senseless killing.

[nikosk11]

AP) Saudi Arabia''s ex-ambassador to Washington said former President George W. Bush left a "sickening legacy" in the Middle East and warned that U.S.-Saudi relations would be at risk if the Obama administration doesn''t change America''s policy in the region.

Why didn''t he [Saudi Prince] say this to Bush''s face?
(Oooops, I forgot; because they (Saudis & Bush) are buddies.)

[nikosk11]

AP) Saudi Arabia''s ex-ambassador to Washington said former President George W. Bush left a "sickening legacy" in the Middle East and warned that U.S.-Saudi relations would be at risk if the Obama administration doesn''t change America''s policy in the region.

Why didn''t he [Saudi Prince] say this to Bush''s face?
(Oooops, I forgot; because they (Saudis & Bush) are buddies.)

[nikosk11]

AP) Saudi Arabia''s ex-ambassador to Washington said former President George W. Bush left a "sickening legacy" in the Middle East and warned that U.S.-Saudi relations would be at risk if the Obama administration doesn''t change America''s policy in the region.

Why didn''t he [Saudi Prince] say this to Bush''s face?
(Oooops, I forgot; because they (Saudis & Bush) are buddies.)

[harbinger09]

" Saudi Arabia''s ex-ambassador to Washington said former President George W. Bush left a "sickening legacy" in the Middle East and warned that U.S.-Saudi relations would be at risk if the Obama administration doesn''t change America''s policy in the region."

Who gives a fvck what this hypocritical simpleton says? When Bush was in office he was a sycophant. Where was the outrage when America fed exed cluster bombs to Israel to kill civilians in Lebanon? Where was his outrage for all the other attacks in Palestine? He is just pretending to empathize and sympathize with Palestine to placate SA''s own population.

Their country knows they are eternally in bed with Bush and the US and as such, will willing fvck or fvck over any other country AMerica brings to the bed. The words are hollow--in the end, SA will deliver their country and the others in the region to Israel. This man is just like Al Maliki, a collaborator of the highest order--who bleats out condemnation on one hand, while really, they continue to work for and with us. Hypocrite

[mjlewis6]

There is 1B in Saudi funds for the rebuilding of Gaza. And there is NO PROSPECT for peace currently.
The Saudis may be right that this should be addressed immediately. Very likely there is a connection between the market slowdown and the policy initiatives in the Middle East.

The ONLY method which will work is a UN Mandated and recognized State of Palestine. This is how Israel was created. The impasse of negotiations could be broken with the UN recognizing Palestine and the US insuring the 1967 borders of Israel are secure in this new two states environment. Palestine and Israel both would have to assume mutual defense, not this one-sided unilateral approach of Israel. As for Hezbollah and Hamas, upon the recognition of Palestine, these two would have to DITCH weapons and the legitimate governments in Lebanon and Palestine supervise this disarmament of NON-government militias.

[oldusa]

SHAKE ABDUL I don''t know much, but Quran said don''t be friend with enemy all your life your family are following them every steps love Dunya All the Sunnah disappear, how much you lost the money in wall street in stead of help the poor in the Muslim land 10000 royal family spending money in the countries that they don''t even like you every year raising the tall building man-made island next is going to be your turn.

[websww-2009]

Give me a break...the Saudi''s have been financing terror throughout the world, and they have the nerve preach to us? What we need to do is completely give up oil from Saudi Arabia, and tell them to go meet their 87 virgins in heaven.

[websww-2009]

Give me a break...the Saudi''s have been financing terror throughout the world, and they have the nerve preach to us? What we need to do is completely give up oil from Saudi Arabia, and tell them to go meet their 87 virgins in heaven.

[smurfcrusher]

Any reason why all the comments were removed from this piece?

[Marie Zarankevich]

Is there anyone in the world who DOESN''T think that Bush betrayed them in some way??? I think the man is a fruitcake, and that he never actually paid attention to anything or anyone at all. You can tell because of all the totally obvious things he ignored, that nobody else would have. He is, unfortunately, about five beers short of a six-pack. I do hope I''m not the only one to have noticed this.

[jgarbuz-2009]

If 1.2 million Arabs can live as citizens in the State of Israel, I see no reason why 400,000 Jews shouldn''t be allowed to remain as citizens of a Palestinian state. And, nearly 1 million Jews were pushed out of the Arab and Muslim states after 1948, most of whom were absorbed into tiny Israel. Some of their progeny live in Sderot, Beersheba, Ashkelon, Ashdod and throughout Israel. Why must all Arab states be Judenrein while Israel carries 1.2 million Arab citizens?

[niceface19]

Both Bush and Obama are war criminals.

[niceface19]

Both Bush and Obama are war criminals.

[tazmjam]

So the Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal says, %u201CThe kingdom has resisted calls for a holy war against Israel, "but every day this restraint becomes more difficult to maintain.%u201D

If Obama gleans anything from this, I hope it is a recognition that the US needs to develop an alternative energy source as soon as possible. Saudi Arabia is not our friend, these countries in the Middle East control too much of the world%u2019s oil. Just because oil prices are low right now does not mean we should forget about alternative energy sources. Without the need for foreign oil we would not have to listen to the Arabian countries nonsense and threats. (And the mention of a possible Arab jihad against Israel is a threat) Israel has a right to defend itself. Hamas started this by launching rockets into Israel, they hide among the civilian population and then scream foul when Israel retaliates and civilians get killed. If Hamas truly cared about their people they would not use them as shields. The Saudis are a bunch of fat pampered extremist who could not fight their way out of a paper bag. When Sadam invade Kuwait the Saudis were scared to death he would also invade Saudi Arabia. Did they fight? No, they called on the US to protect them. They even let us set up bases in their country. Find an alternative energy source and then when these countries sponsor terrorist we will have no problem blowing up their oil wells because we won%u2019t need their oil.

[denny1233-2009]

Who cares what this little p--iss ant camel jockey say''s. If not for thier oil reserves,they would be nothing more than nomad desert scum

[hetup-2009]

I like the rag head song about Ahab the Arab. Israel rules, or will soon.

[jsl45]

Shrub the Dumbnificent....what a dufus. Just wait, there are many many more things that will come to light now that the dufus has crawled back in his hole.

[whatithink10]

gwweloveyou,

I bet you can''t find Israel on a map, but you know ALL THE FACTS.

Don''t you have a trailer to push somewhere?