Putin Reportedly Rejects Saudi Offer to Abandon Assad for Arms Deal
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Moscow has rejected a Saudi proposal to abandon Syria's president in return for a huge arms deal and a pledge to boost Russian influence in the Arab world, diplomats told Agence France Presse.
On July 31, President Vladimir Putin, a strong backer of Syrian leader Bashar Assad, met Saudi Arabia's influential intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan, after which both Moscow and Riyadh kept a lid on the substance of the talks.
"Every two years, Bandar bin Sultan meets his Russian counterparts, but this time, he wanted to meet the head of state," said a European diplomat who shuttles between Beirut and Damascus.
"During the meeting at the Kremlin, the Saudi official explained to his interlocutor that Riyadh is ready to help Moscow play a bigger role in the Middle East at a time when the United States is disengaging from the region," the diplomat added.
Bandar proposed that Saudi Arabia buy $15 billion (11 billion euros) of weapons from Russia and invest "considerably in the country," the source said.
The Saudi prince also reassured Putin that "whatever regime comes after" Assad, it will be "completely" in the Saudis' hands and will not sign any agreement allowing any Gulf country to transport its gas across Syria to Europe and compete with Russian gas exports, the diplomat said.
In 2009, Assad refused to sign an agreement with Qatar for an overland pipeline running from the Gulf to Europe via Syria to protect the interests of its Russian ally, which is Europe's top supplier of natural gas.
An Arab diplomat with contacts in Moscow said: "President Putin listened politely to his interlocutor and let him know that his country would not change its strategy."
"Bandar bin Sultan then let the Russians know that the only option left in Syria was military and that they should forget about Geneva because the opposition would not attend."
Russia and the United States have been trying for months to organize an international peace conference between Assad's regime and the opposition to take place in Geneva, but so far to no avail.
Asked about the Putin-Bandar meeting, a Syrian politician said: "As was the case before with Qatar and Lavrov (in talks), Saudi Arabia thinks that politics is a simple matter of buying people or countries. It doesn't understand that Russia is a major power and that this is not how it draws up policy."
"Syria and Russia have had close ties for over half a century in all fields and it's not Saudi riyals that will change this fact," he added.
The meeting between Bandar and Putin came amid tension between Moscow and Riyadh over the conflict in Syria, as Russia has accused the Saudis of "financing and arming terrorists and extremist groups" in the war which has killed more than 100,000 people since March 2011.
While there was no official reaction to the meeting, Russian experts also said Putin had apparently turned down the Saudi offer.
According to military expert Alexander Goltz from online opposition newspaper Ejednevny, "such an agreement seems extremely improbable."
"Support for Assad is a matter of principle for Vladimir Putin," he said. "Even the bait of $15 billion, a huge sum that represents two years' turnover for Rosoboronexport (Russia's arms exporting agency), will have no effect."
Independent security expert Andrei Soldatov, who runs the Agentura.ru website said: "This disinformation is aimed more at destabilizing Assad and his entourage.
"Assad's position is growing stronger and stronger, and the Kremlin knows this. Turning against them in this situation would be very stupid ... And don't forget that in general the Saudis take years to keep their promises."
08 August 2013, 18:57
61
Haram the Saudis thought they could buy the Russians... not today!!!
08 August 2013, 19:07
25
Well at least now it is clear that Russia's interest overrides that of the Syrian people. Russia is doing everything to secure its gas monopoly in Europe and using Syria not to allow a pipeline from Qatar to Europe. Yet this pipeline is a source of wealth for all arabs and would benefit Lebanon. Who cares if Syria gets destroyed as long as Russian interests are secured.
08 August 2013, 22:42
11
Russia's interest overrides the Syrian people's fasharrrr! You mean Turkey's interest over the Syrian people (failed).... Qatar's interest overriding the Syrian people's (super epic fail).... Or Saudi's interest overrides the Syrian people (soon to be fail). The Saudis have been given some time from their masters to turn the tide for the opposition in Syria. I would bet on the Russian's intelligence over the ape Prince Bandar. He will fail like the rest before him.
09 August 2013, 02:25
01
Do you think Russia by supporting Bashar rather than pushing him towards a negotiable solution with the opposition is doing a favor to the Syrian people. Syria is destroyed, millions of Syrian are refugees. This could have been avoided had the despotic and tyrannic regime of Assad has reacted like the Tunisian, Egyptian or Yemenis presidents rather than mass killing the demonstrators.
09 August 2013, 02:47
10
greatpierro Your claim of "mass killing of the demonstrators" is exaggerated an unsubstantiated. Close to half (40%) of the deaths in Syria are of police, army, and security forces working for the government. And the only people targeting and systematically mass killing civilians are Jubhat al-Nusra, foreign mercenaries, and other Jihadi brigades working under the politically-correct banner of the "Free Syrian Army". Take a second to think about the fact that Bashar al-Assad, even as a dictator, has withstood two and a half years, surely that would suggest that it couldn’t be just Russia holding him up because the USA supported Mubarak and he was out in 2 weeks.
08 August 2013, 19:28
34
russia is going to find out now that they made a major mistake.
they will lose any future influence in the Middle Eat.
08 August 2013, 19:54
12
I personally appreciate relations based on solid commitments even though it does not suite my desired outcome. Would it not be nice for Lebanon to have a solid advocate in the form of a superpower (whether it is Russia or USA)?
Pray for our salvation as a nation
09 August 2013, 01:07
00
Perhaps he's trying to get a bigger deal. What's 15 billion compared to Russia's annual almost 2 trillion? Tissue paper for its behind. Unfazed devotion (as is the case for Bashar) is rather irreplaceable, or at least, worth much, much more than 15 billion.
08 August 2013, 20:59
24
Texas. Excellent comparison. I dont like too much Bandar's heavy hand. However i prefer lebanon to be in teh sphere of influence of saudi than under the influence of a terrorist state such as iran.
09 August 2013, 01:18
00
I agree Bigjohn. Per capita income and such although high, is not a sane factor to foretell a certain country's long-term stability. Some could be gaining millions a year and some less than 10K, and such averages do no justice. Perhaps the median.
Anyway, poverty is worse in some gulf countries compared to Lebanon.
08 August 2013, 21:00
14
southern. Just out of curiosity. DO you think that assad is good for lebanon? Do you think for example that michel samaha, sent by assad to wreak havoc here was doing good for lebanon?
Or are you not lebanese?
08 August 2013, 21:21
13
Ya southern. Lebanese sunnites are very tolerant. Those who are not tolerant are a very minute minority in tripoli.
Extrimist sunnites in lebanon (nahr el bared) were financed by assad, but were defeated by our glorious army. Even nasrallah supported them by putting a red line agaisnt attacking them.
Nosra and qaeda were not thinking about lebanon. (apart from the nahr el bared incident which LAF won. )
HA invited Nosra and qaeda to lebanon by opening the door wide for them to come practice their profession here (killing people). If HA did not get involved to protect Assad, we would never have heard of them here.
08 August 2013, 21:12
23
So not only you know men but also woman...wow. Too bad your limited with current world affairs.
08 August 2013, 21:59
32
Iranpatriot.
That is what they teach you in the journalism department of the university of Qom lalbanan wal banin?
They teach you that anyone who is against HA, the armed terrorist milicia, having weapons has his genes automatically turn into a cannibal?
Quite an education! Go tell your repressed professors about shades of gray... it will do them good if they understand you...
08 August 2013, 22:52
11
You have a number of weaknesses in your point.
1-if you did not want to attract attention, you wouldnt have put these pics of women in your avatar. Dont put these avatars then shout foul when it becomes time to take responsability.
2- There is nothing as a closet cannibal. You either like human meat or dont. I do appreciate it with honey mustard sauce. I suddenly started appreciating human meat(with honey mustard sauce) it when i realized that HA's weapons are antilebanese.- goes with your theory.
3- If saudis decide to have a particular sexual orientation (since they teach you in Qom that the whole kingdom is homosexual), I dont think it is for me or you to judge them.
4- on a more serious note, I think the russians reacted classily. Bandar is a terrorist. I agree. But I hate the russians nevertheless because they support the criminal antilebanese Assadist regime.
5- Yes you are a patriot. But an iranian one.
08 August 2013, 22:07
12
you many want to check putin's record--he has no love for democracy or freedom and neither do the other stooges you listed. you may as well put robert mugabe, idi amin, and mussolini on that list.
09 August 2013, 00:25
11
bigsami I am convinced you lack the education required to put together a sentence in english, let alone a convincing argument. I truly pity your lack of intelligence.
08 August 2013, 22:14
00
The idiots apparently take the Russians for idiots as they do not know that history has proven time and again that their promises and guarantees are things that they have no control over and that pretty much everything they get involved in turns into a disaster.
08 August 2013, 22:30
22
Everyone,
Don't be so naïve. If prince bandar and Vladimir agreed on Bachar's fate, it would have to be denied in the media. They wouldn't want to spook the giraff so he'd use his chemical weapons on a huge scale before vanishing from the surface of the earth.
Saudi is planning something great. Qatar has been neutralized politically, so are the UAE.... It's up to bandar to make a difference and reshape the entire region.
May Allah inspire him.
08 August 2013, 22:43
22
Jesus once said «Nul n'est Roy en son pays.»nothing prevents prince bandar of excelling internationally and exceeding anyone's expectations.
08 August 2013, 22:33
22
Well, I hope they'd pay for the funerals. Chou baddak kamen? You want the collectivity to pay for them? No to social welfare!
The same applies to your funerals.
09 August 2013, 03:21
20
Thank you for adding such valuable insight to this discussion. You should have your own stand up comedy talk show.
08 August 2013, 22:36
12
During the cold war, the pro CCCP Arab socialists were defeated by Israel because Israel comes first on Russian and American agendas. Arabs are just allowed to buy Russian weaponry as long as its used on their own people.
09 August 2013, 01:04
10
You think any country would sell arms to anyone with a significant potential to use said weaponry against the seller's own people? 'course not.
And if you pay more attention to history you'd see most communist eastern countries now live in relative peace to their US-influenced counterparts. If the USSR was allowed to take over Afghanistan then maybe they would have joined the civilized ranks of (strikethrough)brown(/strikethrough) peoples.
08 August 2013, 22:56
23
What slap to every face of our so called politicians who have travelled to the KSA for the last few months @ a snap of a finger. They were mere entre compared to the main course, after the easy bribes & selling their souls, family & country to the Saudis' it took Bander to finalise a deal with the Russians, but instead he was told to shove it & politely booted out of Russia they even called him & the rest of the Saudi clan LIARS ( "Saudis are know not to keep their promises" a quote from the Russians) Geagea, Jumblat, Harriris', Salam, Soniora, shame .
Signed Wolf..
09 August 2013, 00:54
10
You think those weapons will just be locked in some storage room gathering dust??
Of course not, they will be distributed to the various groups terrorizing the middle east from south to north to east to west, killing civilians and pretty much anyone their masters choose.
09 August 2013, 01:15
00
Sure, let 'em just take over and we'll call it a day.
Not to say your figures don't portray Iran as leechers(which they are), but we must keep in mind that the flow of money must not jeopardize stability, politics, or internal policies. There are buyers everywhere, and if one does is not in cohesion with domestic policy then the wise decision is to stay on course and find some other sources of monetary income ( not to say the GCC etc. are not in harmony with our domestic policies).
Besides, your comparison is unfair since you're comparing Bahrain, Kuwat, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE etc. and the West(?) against a single nation. Bollocks.
09 August 2013, 03:20
00
Should we criticize every country that doesn't invest as much as others ? That's being ungrateful, and a bit shallow -- to hold the belief that money triumphs supreme over anything else.
I agree though, KSA is more useful than Iran in that regard; if we were to choose to ostracize either Iran or KSA, then sure enough it would be Iran, but things don't work like that.
I think you're trying to say that letting the KSA have control over Lebanese economy is better than Iran doing so, which I agree, I guess? Or did you meant to say something else?
09 August 2013, 02:30
11
Do you think that terrorist HA has not hit the inhabitant of Beirut not only in the back but straight into their face.
09 August 2013, 02:34
11
Let me add the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Terrorist HA is the biggest threat on lebanon. It has cannibalized the institutions and the structure of the state. It is depriving Lebanon from billions of USD of custom income and putting Lebanon under the threat of terrorists islamists by fighting in Syria. Any one helping to get rid of this tumor is welcome.
09 August 2013, 08:38
00
Is this sarcasm or what...? I fit is, I like it... It's the truth...
09 August 2013, 14:30
10
US and EU are sparing no effort fighting Quaeda and islamists terrorists.
