Saudi Arabia tries to woo Russia away from Syria with arms deal
Saudi Arabia tries to woo Russia away from Syria with arms deal | The Times of Israel.
Kingdom reportedly made $15 billion offer to buy weapons in return for reduced support of Assad and more cooperation at UN
Saudi Arabia offered to buy billions of dollars worth of arms from Russia in return for a Moscow commitment to ease its support for Syrian President Bashar Assad and to not block any future United Nations Security Council resolutions against the Damascus regime.
According to a Wednesday report from Reuters, based on several unnamed sources from across the Middle East, Saudi Intelligence Chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan made the proposal to Russian President Vladimir Putin when the two met in Moscow last week.
Syrian opposition sources claim Bandar offered to buy $15 billion worth of weapons and also pledged to ensure that Gulf gas producers will not challenge Russia’s position as the leading gas supplier to Europe.
A Lebanese source told Reuters that at the end of the four-hour meeting “the Saudis were elated about the outcome.”
Neither Russian nor Saudi officials publicly confirmed the report. Russia has remained Assad’s staunchest ally during the two-year-long civil war that has killed over 100,000 people.
However, an unnamed Western diplomat was pessimistic about the likelihood that Russia would give up its influential position in the region in return for even such a lucrative arms deal. The diplomat told Reuters that Russian officials are also wary about whether the Saudis have a coherent plan for maintaining stability in a post-Assad Syria.
A senior Syrian opposition figure said there had been a “build-up of Russian-Saudi contacts prior to the meeting.”
“Bandar sought to allay two main Russian fears: that Islamist extremists will replace Assad, and that Syria would become a conduit for Gulf, mainly Qatari, gas at the expense of Russia,” he said. “Bandar offered to intensify energy, military and economic cooperation with Moscow.”
According to the report, it was Russia that persuaded Assad to allow UN investigators to begin looking into the suspected use of chemical weapons that both sides blame on each other.
The UN gave a green light for the investigation last week following an “understanding” reached between the Syrian government and UN disarmament chief Angela Kane and Sellstrom who visited Damascus at the end of July.
The team will visit the village of Khan al-Assal, a village on the southwestern outskirts of the embattled city of Aleppo, which was captured by the rebels and was under attack by government forces last week. The government and rebels accuse each other of being behind a purported chemical attack on the village on March 19 that killed at least 30 people.
Reuters said that in 2008 Russia agreed to sell Saudi Arabia 150 T-90 tanks along with 100 Mi-17 and Mi-35 attack helicopters and additional BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, but although signed and sealed, the deal never went through.
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WarSclerotic 
August 8, 2013 at 1:45 PM
The Syrian official press has denied categorically the rebels attack on Assad group this morning in Damascus, but new details are revealing that it was a hit and it was grave.(Rotter)
I’ll try to get this out from other sources as well and I’ll be back.
August 8, 2013 at 1:48 PM
…actually, the net is full of titles such ” Syria denied that Assad convoy was attacked ” while respectable agencies are discussing the subject. In accord with Israeli media, Assad is going out from this one unharmed.
August 8, 2013 at 3:09 PM
New details are exposed regarding the rebels attack on Assad convoy:
1. There were 2 convoys, one real and one decoy; the rebels attacked the right one.
1. In accord with channel 10(Israel TV), which was quoted by Arab sources, Assad got hit in his foot, a serious injury. It seems also that a very important personality in Assad group was killed in this event.
(Rotter).
On radio Israel, Reshet Bet, the commentator said that until Assad wont show up and speak clearly about the events of this day, nothing can be told about his situation.
August 8, 2013 at 3:41 PM
“When embassies are closed, it is usually because war is imminent.”
“But another chief player may already have signaled the U.S. that she is about to do a pre-emptive strike. While the world is focused in the utterly useless Middle East “peace talks,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, knowing beforehand that the talks will be absolutely fruitless, could have already made the decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.”
Read more here:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/08/world_war_iii.html
Methinks somethings afoot.
August 8, 2013 at 3:44 PM
Afterthought…. The Saudis may be covering their back by making nice with the Russians in the event all-out war breaks out. 💡
August 8, 2013 at 4:09 PM
Steve, the article you brought is a must for us, here, to read. Nevertheless, I was excited to find in it ideas which your humble servant wrote here immediately after the embassies shutdown and the real semnification of this amazing fact.
The principal ideas which are radiating from this dissertation are:
1. The region is on the verge of a great scale military conflict (between Islamic forces)
2. Israel may enter this play, with a finishing move on Iran and
3. The embassies were shutdown because a wide spreading war is looming, while Al Qaeda is capable to produce today not one Benghazi, but a dozen more. Nobody in America wants that right now.
I warmly recommend this article to be studied here by more good people. Thank you, Steve.
August 8, 2013 at 4:24 PM
…we also highly recommend the caricatures on the same site: http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/08/world_war_iii.html same
However, you have been warned: the laugh is dangerous sometimes.
August 8, 2013 at 5:05 PM
Glad to contribute Luis. I have a lot of respect for the American Thinker website. The writers there make a lot of sense. I especially like the author’s willingness to use history as a guide to what may happen in the future. 😐
August 8, 2013 at 8:20 PM
American Thinker has some superb articles. Just have to wade through the conspiracy chaff to get to the wheat.
August 8, 2013 at 5:39 PM
Throwing Assad under the bus would mean also throwing Iran under the bus.
The Iranians would be really pissed off by this.
If this really happens, it will be a major geostrategic shift.
August 8, 2013 at 6:24 PM
By a strange coincidence, I’m just listening to Kol Israel (radio) where the news reader is reporting that Putin just turned down the generous Saudi offer. However, I must confess that this development didn’t surprised me at all. Putin cannot just leave Syria, not even for a double Saudi offer: first of all, this will be a death blow to his credibility and honor and second, his strategic assets in Syria – and investments – are so big that even the Saudis cant buy that.
May be the Saudis tried their luck with the wrong man. May be such an offer should be make to Obama, to start working for the good of the American people.
August 8, 2013 at 7:22 PM
Luis, good analysis as allways and most likely you are right.
There is one possibility not stated here, namely that the deal wasn’t meant to be realized in the first place but that the whole circus was a deception to create a false impression because such a deal would make only sense if Assad is going to stay without such a deal.
August 8, 2013 at 6:09 PM
Well, they have until Saturday- unless the closings are extended.
August 8, 2013 at 7:08 PM
BBC, Eilat airport closed
August 8, 2013 at 7:19 PM
May be its because of the Egyptian army activity -finally!- in the Sinai Peninsula and the concern of an eventually terrorists counter strike in Israel’s direction(Eilat is the closest. I also wish a very good evening to our friend, Joseph).
August 8, 2013 at 7:22 PM
Absolute Luis, JW stay safe !!
August 8, 2013 at 7:24 PM
…But what is much more interesting is that even Rotter is keeping it quiet on this one and it doesn’t go further than reporting the news as they are, with no interpretation of its own.
August 8, 2013 at 7:37 PM
MM, could mean sonneting serious is going to happen.
August 8, 2013 at 7:58 PM
There is a confirmation right now on Israeli TV regarding the reasons for Eilat airport closing. They are debating this issue as I’m writing here.
August 9, 2013 at 3:33 PM
This is amusing
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-08/putin-laughs-saudi-offer-betray-syria-exchange-huge-arms-deal