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US Denies Bandar Claims over Riyadh’s Shift away from US

US Denies Bandar Claims over Riyadh’s Shift away from US
folder_openSaudi Arabia access_time10 years ago
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Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief Bandar bin Sultan announced that the kingdom will make a "major shift" in dealings with the United States in protest at its perceived inaction over Syria and its overtures to Iran, a source close to Saudi policy said on Tuesday.

According to the US Wall Street Journal, the Saudi Prince told European diplomats that Washington had failed to act effectively on the Syrian crisis and the "Israeli"-Palestinian conflict, was growing closer to Tehran, and had failed to back Saudi support for the Bahraini dictatorship when it violently suppressed an anti-government rebellion in 2011, the source said.
It was not immediately clear if Bandar's reported statements had the full backing of King Abdullah.

US Denies Bandar Claims over Riyadh’s Shift away from US

"The shift away from the US is a major one," the source close to Saudi policy said. "Saudi doesn't want to find itself any longer in a situation where it is dependent.
The source further stated: "The Prince Bandar told diplomats that he plans to limit interaction with the US," he said. "This happens after the US failed to take any effective action on Syria and Palestine."

"Relations with the US have been deteriorating for a while, as Saudi feels that the US is growing closer with Iran and the US also failed to support Saudi during the Bahrain uprising."

The source declined to provide more details of Bandar's talks with the diplomats, which took place in the past few days.
But he suggested that the planned change in ties between the medieval-styled kingdom and its traditional US protector would have wide-ranging consequences, including on arms purchases and oil sales.

Meanwhile, a US official insisted that the relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia remain strong, a, brushing aside the report its key Gulf ally was seeking to distance itself from Washington amid differences over Syria.
Asked if Riyadh had told Washington that it planned to cut back cooperation, the official replied: "Not to my knowledge has that message been sent to the State Department by the Saudis."

"The fundamental relationship and partnership with the Saudis is a strong one. We value their efforts on a wide range of issues," added State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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