In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Yesterday-O.K. Today they suck!
alledan
Member Posts: 19,541
Saudi Arabia Rejects U.S. Request 09/23/2001 8:34 AM EDT Email this StoryBy TAREK AL-ISSAWI Saudi Arabia, apparently concerned about possible strikes on a fellow Arab state, has rejected a U.S. request to use its air bases for an offensive against terrorism, a Saudi official said Sunday.The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh referred all queries to the Pentagon on Sunday. In Washington, the Pentagon referred reporters to the State Department, which had no immediate comment.Just a day earlier, U.S. officials in Washington said they were pleased with cooperation from Saudi Arabia as America prepares to retaliate for the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States.Washington blames Islamic militants led by exiled Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden for the attacks on New York and Washington that left more than 6,000 people missing or dead. Officials indicate a strike on Afghanistan, where bin Laden has found a haven, could come at any time.Saudi officials, though, say the United States cannot use the Prince Sultan Air Base, south of the Saudi capital Riyadh, for U.S. retaliatory attacks. Last week the commander of the U.S. Central Command's air operations, Air Force Lt. Gen. Charles Wald, shifted his operations from South Carolina to the base."Saudi Arabia will not accept any infringement on its national sovereignty, but it fully backs action aimed at eradicating terrorism and its causes," said the official, who refused to be identified further.A diplomat in Riyadh, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Saudis were negotiating with the United States over the anti-terrorism campaign. The Saudis were pushing for a multilateral campaign that would allow them some influence over the targets of American retaliation, the diplomat said. The concern appeared to be the possibility other Arab states would be targeted.In the past, Washington has accused Yemen, Sudan and Iraq of harboring terrorists. People in those countries now fear a U.S. attack.The United States and Saudi Arabia have been close allies for more than half a century. U.S. troops have remained in the kingdom since leading the multinational coalition that ended Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1991Saudi Arabia plays host to about 4,500 U.S. military personnel and an undisclosed number of warplanes at Prince Sultan Air Base. U.S. warplanes patrolling a no-fly zone over southern Iraq take off from Saudi Arabia.