Farsnews
▻http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960407000220
Bin Salman Orders Royal Guards to Keep Ex-Crown Prince under House Arrest
L’ex-héritier du trône saoudien, éjecté par #MBS (son neveu), serait en résidence surveillé.
Pendant ce temps-là, Mujtahid annonce que le même MBS s’apprête à nouer des « relations ouvertes » avec #Israël :
Whistle-Blower : New Saudi Crown Prince Preparing for Open Ties with Israel
▻http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960407000353
Deposed Saudi Prince Is Said to Be Confined to Palace - The New York Times
▻https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/28/world/middleeast/deposed-saudi-prince-mohammed-bin-nayef.html
BEIRUT, Lebanon — The recently deposed crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Nayef, has been barred from leaving the kingdom and confined to his palace in the coastal city of Jidda, according to four current and former American officials and Saudis close to the royal family.
House of Saudi Cards : The Inside Story
►https://sputniknews.com/columnists/201706241054941082-saudi-house-of-cards-inside-story
A top Middle East source close to the House of Saud, and a de facto dissident of the Beltway consensus, minces no words; “The CIA is very displeased with the firing of [former Crown Prince] Mohammad bin Nayef. Mohammad bin Salman is regarded as sponsoring terrorism. In April 2014 the entire royal families of the UAE and Saudi Arabia were to be ousted by the US over terrorism. A compromise was worked out that Nayef would take over running the Kingdom to stop it.”
Escobar. L’idée de base c’est qye bin Nayef était l’homme de la CIA et que le coup de force pour faire accéder au trône MBS est une fuite en avant qui risque très vite de mettre la région à feu et à sang. Hypothèse invérifiable mais crédible.
#catastrophe_arabe peut-être ?
On peut aussi introduire #apocalypse_arabe si tu veux avoir une échelle de Richter des tags pour la région
J’ai quelques doutes, le département d’Etat, le Pentagone et la CIA appréciaient hautement Mohammed Ben Nayef qui a fait preuve d’"efficacité" dans la lutte contre les « extrémistes » islamistes
Saudi Arabia’s new crown prince Mohammed bin Salman is good news for Israel and U.S.
Saudi crown prince Bin Salman agrees with U.S. on Russia, Assad, Iran and ISIS and according to some reports, he’s also met with top Israeli officials
Zvi Bar’el Jun 21, 2017
read more: ►http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/.premium-1.797007
New Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s appointment as Saudi Arabia’s heir apparent was only a matter of time. The “boy,” who will mark his 32nd birthday in August, has been leading the country de facto anyway. He already calls the shots on foreign policy. Many expect that in the not-too-distant future, King Salman, who is ill, will step down and hand the scepter to his son.
Bin Salman has been undergoing training for the throne since Salman’s coronation two and a half years ago, both through foreign missions carried out on behalf of his father, and also through the war in Yemen that – as defense minister – he planned and carried out (albeit not particularly successfully).
>>Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro: The impulsiveness of the king-in-waiting should worry Israel and the U.S.
Before the new crown prince’s advent, his cousin, Mohammed bin Nayef, had been in charge of relationships with Washington, especially with the CIA. In short order, Nayef was pushed out and the Americans understood exactly who the strong man in town was.
Bin Salman became the contact not only between the kingdom and Washington, but also with Russia: the new heir met with President Vladimir Putin several times to coordinate policy on Syria and Iran.
Keep updated: Sign up to our newsletter
Email* Sign up
Until now, Mohammed bin Salman has been good news for Israel and the United States, as his firm anti-Iranian positions make him an important partner – and not only in the struggle against Iran. Bin Salman agrees with America on the need to thwart Russian influence in the region; to topple President Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria; and to act firmly against ISIS and other radical organizations, from the Muslim Brotherhood to Hezbollah. During the last two years, several Arab websites have reported that bin Salman also met with top Israelis.
File photo: US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the White House on March 14, 2017.NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP
>> Cluster bombs and yachts: 5 things you should know about Saudi Arabia’s new crown prince
According to these reports, one such meeting took place in Eilat in 2015; another on the margins of the Arab summit in Jordan this March, and there are regular meetings between Saudi and Israeli officers in the joint war room where Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United States coordinate. What is not yet known is to what extent Bin Salman can and might want to advance the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan, and whether he can turn around relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
In a series of tweets this week, the Saudi blogger known as “Mujtahidd” revealed a “plot” by Crown Prince bin Salman and the heir to the Abu Dhabi throne, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to stage a coup in Qatar.
Mujtahidd – many of whose tweets have proven accurate, and who apparently relies on whispers from the Saudi Arabia monarchial court – wrote, among other things, that the two heirs intended to send Blackwater mercenaries (of Iraqi notoriety) to Qatar, together with forces from the UAE, to seize the government. After that, somebody from the ruling Al-Thani family who would be loyal to them would be appointed. Thusly, according to Mujtahidd, the two thought to reduce the crisis and bend Qatar to Saudi Arabia’s will. Based on these tweets, it was the United States that pressed, indirectly, to torpedo the notion.
By the way, this information has not been verified, and there is no certainty that these tweets rely on any actual fact. But what is unquestionable is the depth of relations between the two young heirs, a relationship that has created an axis of youth confident of the global mission – or at least Arab mission – placed on their shoulders, and confident that none but them are suited to run the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (R) talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, June 19, 2017. HANDOUT/REUTERS
This is a new generation that includes the ruler of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, 37. It is a generation that came late to the Gulf states, having been predated by youthful leaders in Morocco, Jordan and Syria.
Arab leaders like Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi and King Abdullah have felt the whip of Saudi foreign relations. Both have been lashed over their “behavior” – and they were punished, too. Saudi Arabia cut off the oil supply to Egypt six months ago because of Cairo’s support for the Russian proposal on Syria, and because what Saudi Arabia felt was Egypt’s retreat from the proposal to return the Sanafir and Tiran islands in the Red Sea to it. Saudi Arabia also suspended aid to Jordan until recently because Jordan refused to let Gulf forces operate from its territory against Syrian forces.
Mohammed bin Salman, newly appointed as crown prince, left, kisses the hand of Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, June 21, 2017./AP
But the hardest blow was suffered, of course, by Qatar, which was declared non grata by the Gulf nations, Egypt, Yemen and Jordan, which turned the terrestrial and aerial blockade of the Gulf state into an economic one.
The new crown prince was the living spirit behind all these decisions, which required no more than a formal nod from his father.
The appointment, which has passed without opposition so far, and with the overwhelming support of the Allegiance Council (which, under the constitution, has the power to approve the appointment of heirs) is not expected to cause any new jolts in the kingdom.
Potential opponents have already been “summoned for a chat” in the king’s court. The new interior minister, Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, is another youngster, just 34, and is very close to Mohammed bin Salman. From now on, he will be the one responsible for managing the struggle against internal terrorism. He will also be the crown prince’s partner in oppressing subversion.
To gratify the subjects ahead of the change, King Salman announced the extension of Id al-Fitr (to mark the end of Ramadan) by another week. He also returned all the financial emoluments that were recently taken away from government and army officials. A pay raise is a time-honored way of maintaining quiet calm in the Saudi kingdom.
Saudi Arabia’s new crown prince Mohammed bin Salman is good news for Israel and U.S.
►http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/.premium-1.797007
Saudi crown prince Bin Salman agrees with U.S. on Russia, Assad, Iran and ISIS and according to some reports, he’s also met with top Israeli officials
Troubled waters in the Gulf
▻http://www.petroleum-economist.com/articles/politics-economics/middle-east/2017/troubled-waters-in-the-gulf
Even before the Qatar controversy erupted, the population of the Gulf was witnessing a radical change in leadership styles—at least in two of the key GCC states, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Two charismatic and ambitious leaders, Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, the son of the king of Saudi Arabia, and Muhammad bin Zaid, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and the strongman of the UAE, have led the way.
These two young and energetic princes have challenged the traditional structures and mechanisms of Gulf leadership, offering a new approach that’s more decisive, but less accountable and less predictable.
[...]
The continuation of this new leadership trend would gradually give the two men involved a status more akin to an all-powerful president than a king, more like Sisi of Egypt than the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. For many Gulf citizens this represents a traumatic break with tradition, disturbing in a region where change has always been gradual and measured, and the future has never looked anything other than calm and secure.
There is a danger that the populations could feel even more disenfranchised than before. And with the solid support of the Trump administration, which has cast aside Obama’s dictum that Arab states adhere to high standards of human rights, dissent would be firmly stifled.
Friday 15 February 2008 12.08 GMT
BAE: secret papers reveal threats from Saudi prince | World news | The Guardian
▻https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/feb/15/bae.armstrade
Saudi Arabia’s rulers threatened to make it easier for terrorists to attack London unless corruption investigations into their arms deals were halted, according to court documents revealed yesterday.
Previously secret files describe how investigators were told they faced “another 7/7” and the loss of “British lives on British streets” if they pressed on with their inquiries and the Saudis carried out their threat to cut off intelligence.
Prince Bandar, the head of the Saudi national security council, and son of the crown prince, was alleged in court to be the man behind the threats to hold back information about suicide bombers and terrorists. He faces accusations that he himself took more than £1bn in secret payments from the arms company BAE.
He was accused in yesterday’s high court hearings of flying to London in December 2006 and uttering threats which made the prime minister, Tony Blair, force an end to the Serious Fraud Office investigation into bribery allegations involving Bandar and his family.
The threats halted the fraud inquiry, but triggered an international outcry, with allegations that Britain had broken international anti-bribery treaties.
Lord Justice Moses, hearing the civil case with Mr Justice Sullivan, said the government appeared to have “rolled over” after the threats. He said one possible view was that it was “just as if a gun had been held to the head” of the government.
The SFO investigation began in 2004, when Robert Wardle, its director, studied evidence unearthed by the Guardian. This revealed that massive secret payments were going from BAE to Saudi Arabian princes, to promote arms deals.
What the 1967 War meant for Saudi religious exports | Brookings Institution
▻https://www.brookings.edu/blog/markaz/2017/05/30/what-the-1967-war-meant-for-saudi-religious-exports
It was not until Arab nationalist revolutions swept away several monarchs in the Middle East and North Africa that Saudi Arabia began to proselytize abroad again to stem the rising secular tide. In 1962, Crown Prince Faisal helped establish the Muslim World League (MWL) with the express purpose of spreading Wahhabism to blunt the appeal of Arab nationalism, a mission it continues today. He hoped that by championing Islamic causes abroad, he could persuade conservative Muslim governments and activists to ally themselves with the kingdom rather than with nationalist leaders like Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser. Pan-Islamism would be the answer to pan-Arabism.
The Angry Arab News Service/وكالة أنباء العربي الغاضب
►http://angryarab.blogspot.fr
#catastrophe_arabe (1)
Franchement, c’est très compliqué. Si j’ai bien suivi la chose, et je vais essayer de donner quelques éléments : un jour après le grand show Trumpien en arabie saoudite, les équilibres politiques dans le Gofe semblent voler en éclats. En cause, une violente dispute, sur les médias et via les agences de presse, entre le Qatar d’un côté et l’Arabie souadite (Egypte, Emirats, Bahreïen) de l’autre.
Le Qatar se fâche très fort parce qu’on l’accuse de (soutien au) terrorisme (notamment parce qu’il s’obstine à conserver des liens, même ténus, avec l’iran). Des nouvelles ont circulé selon lesquelles le Qatar retirait ses ambassadeurs des pays mentionnés, puis la nouvelle a été démentie. Au milieu d’une vraie bataille médiatique de la part des chaînes arabes, le Qatar - si j’ai bien compris - a levé le drapeau blanc en disant que le site de l’Agence de presse officielle a été hacké. Naturellement, on “explique” déjà que ce sont les Iraniens qui ont fait le coup.
Ci-dessous, un bricolage de liens :
Le 1er signalement chez Angry Arab : Qatari-Saudi feud out in the open
So what happened today: the Qatari News Agency was hacked and it posted statements by the Qatari Emir in which he criticized US policies and declared that Hamas and Hizbullah are resistance movement and had warm words about Iran. Al-Arabiyya TV (owned by the deputy Crown Prince) went berserk: it unleashed on the Qatari regime and hosted various guests to attack the Qatari regime even AFTER the Qatari regime issued a statement denying that the Emir made those statements.
PS Wow. Al-Arabiyya can’t stop. They are still unleashing against the Qatari regime. More fun in inter-Arab relations is ahead of us.
Un autre, trois heures plus tard : What is happening in Qatar?
Qatari foreign minister now says that his statements were misinterpreted and that he did not call for recall of Qatari ambassadors in GCC countries (except Oman) and Egypt.
Et, parmi toute une série, le dernier, 5 heures après le premier : Stupid Western media theories about the origins of the Saudi-Qatari rift
Of course, it will start now: that Iran will be blamed for hacking the Qatari News Agency website and starting the rift between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Only those who don’t know a word of Arabic and who has not read or watched the media of the two regimes in the last 12 hours will believe this. It was clear that Saudi regime was prepared for this in advance: the column already appeared in the morning papers against Qatar, and the guests were already lined up to voice criticisms of the Qatari regime and its Emir. It makes more sense that the Saudi regime was behind the hacking if there was any hacking. The statements of the Emir sounded true to me, and they are in line with the previous stances of Qatar. So either there was an inside sabotage within the Qatari regime or the Saudis were behind the hacking with the assistance of their friends the Israelis. And if Iran was behind the hacking, why were the statements about Iran not far more favorable?
End of mission statement Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Professor Philip Alston on his visit to Saudi Arabia
▻http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=21094
Many Saudis are convinced that their country is free of poverty. I was often told that there are no homeless and no hungry people, and that the innate spirit of generosity within the society ensures that there is no poverty. And until very recently, the word ‘poverty’ was carefully avoided by policy-makers and commentators. They talked instead about vulnerable or needy persons. Things should have started to change after a ground-breaking visit in 2002 to poor areas in Riyadh by the then Crown Prince Abdullah. That led to the preparation of a National Poverty Reduction Strategy in 2005, but it has never been made public. In 2006 a Supplementary Support Programme was initiated to assist the poor. Since that time, Government programs have proliferated and charitable organizations working in the poverty sector have flourished.
But the result is a veritable hodgepodge of programs which is inefficient, unsustainable, poorly coordinated and, above all, unsuccessful in providing comprehensive social protection to those most in need2. The system is based on monthly and one-time cash transfers under the Complementary Support Program.
Un rapport des Nations Unies sur la pauvreté en #arabie_saoudite
et celui-ci également :
“Saudi Vision 2030 could be a catalyst for realizing women’s rights” – UN expert
▻http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=21099&LangID=E
Exclusive: How Putin, Khamenei and Saudi prince got OPEC deal done | Reuters
▻http://www.reuters.com/article/us-opec-meeting-idUSKBN13Q4WG
Russian President Vladimir Putin played a crucial role in helping OPEC rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia set aside differences to forge the cartel’s first deal with non-OPEC Russia in 15 years.
Interventions ahead of Wednesday’s OPEC meeting came at key moments from Putin, Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani, OPEC and non-OPEC sources said.
Putin’s role as intermediary between Riyadh and Tehran was pivotal, testament to the rising influence of Russia in the Middle East since its military intervention in the Syrian civil war just over a year ago.
Putin’s role as intermediary between Riyadh and Tehran was pivotal
Gné !? Changement typographique chez Reuters, dorénavant, il faut écrire ReuTers :-D
Al-Arabiya manager accused of being bribed by royals
▻https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20161123-al-arabiya-manager-accused-of-being-bribed-by-royals
Another document, leaked from August 2015, showed that Al-Dakhil’s worth had risen to nearly 94 million Saudi riyals ($25 million), 11 times higher than it was only six months earlier, before his appointment.
Around that same period, Al-Dakhil, who is also close to the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Zayid purchased a property in Dubai for 17 million UAE Dirhams ($4.6 million).
Middle East Observer has also received documents that Al-Dakhil was bribed by the UAE regime between 2012-2014, adding that he had been “groomed” prior to his appointment at Al-Arabiya.
‘We Misled You’: How the Saudis Are Coming Clean on Funding Terrorism
On my most recent trip to Saudi Arabia, I was greeted with a startling confession. In the past, when we raised the issue of funding Islamic extremists with the Saudis, all we got were denials. This time, in the course of meetings with King Salman, Crown Prince Nayef, Deputy Crown Mohammad Bin Salman and several ministers, one top Saudi official admitted to me, “We misled you.” He explained that Saudi support for Islamic extremism started in the early 1960s as a counter to Nasserism—the socialist political ideology that came out of the thinking of Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser—which threatened Saudi Arabia and led to war between the two countries along the Yemen border. This tactic allowed them to successfully contain Nasserism, and the Saudis concluded that Islamism could be a powerful tool with broader utility.
▻http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/09/saudi-arabia-terrorism-funding-214241
#Arabie_Saoudite #financement #terrorisme #ISIS #EI #Etat_islamique
Selon une déclaration du vice-prince héritier saoudien Mohammed ben Salmane (MBS) rapportée dans une dépêche de l’agence jordanienne Petra News, mais ensuite effacée, l’Arabie saoudite aurait contribué à hauteur de 20% à la campagne d’Hillary :
▻http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/deleted-official-report-says-saudi-key-funder-hillary-clinton-preside
The Petra News Agency published on Sunday what it described as exclusive comments from Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman which included a claim that Riyadh has provided 20 percent of the total funding to the prospective Democratic candidate’s campaign.
The report was later deleted and the news agency has not responded to requests for comment from Middle East Eye.
It is illegal in the United States for foreign countries to try to influence the outcome of elections by funding candidates.
The Washington-based Institute for Gulf Affairs has re-published the original Arabic Petra report, which quoted Prince Mohammed as having said Saudi Arabia had provided with “full enthusiasm” an undisclosed amount of money to Clinton.
“Saudi Arabia always has sponsored both Republican and Democratic Party of America and in America current election also provide with full enthusiasm 20 percent of the cost of Hillary Clinton’s election even though some events in the country don’t have a positive look to support the king of a woman (sic) for presidency,” the report quoted Prince Mohammed as having said.
La nouvelle fait du bruit. Par ex. ici : ▻http://almanar.com.lb/356112.
L’article le plus complet sur la question, celui d’al-akhbar : ▻https://al-akhbar.com/node/259643
Et devant le bruit, Petra News prétend maintenant que cette dépêche est le fruit d’un hacking.
▻http://www.petra.gov.jo/Public_News/Nws_NewsDetails.aspx?Site_Id=1&lang=2&NewsID=257423&CatID=13&Type=Home>y
Amman, June 13 (Petra) In response to what has been published by some media outlets as well as the social media regarding news that were attributed to Jordan News Agency (Petra), we would like to clarify the following: 1) A technical failure on Petra ’s website occurred for a few minutes on Sunday evening, June 12, 2016. Protection systems at the agency as well as the technical department noticed that and therefore, they suspended the transmission system and the electronic site and moved to the alternative website.
2) Later, it became clear that the technical failure that occurred was and attempt to hack the agency’s transmission system and its website.
3) The Agency was surprised to see some media outlets as well as the social media publishing false news that were attributed to Petra
Cela semble devenir une routine que d’effacer des nouvelles rapportant des déclarations imprudentes de l’une de ses majestés et de prétendre ensuite que le site qui les a publiées a été piraté...
►http://seenthis.net/messages/496157
Et certains petits veinards, comme Joshua Landis, ont même droit à un tweet perso ad hoc de la responsable presse de l’ambassade jordanienne à Washington pour leur faire savoir que tout ça c’est du pipeau :
▻https://twitter.com/joshua_landis/status/742530210063515650
De deux choses l’une. Soit les pirates iraniens (ou syriens) ont beaucoup d’humour, soit les Saoudiens se foutent de la gueule du monde et n’hésitent pas à faire censurer l’ensemble de la presse arabe pour rattraper leurs boulettes en communication.
Saudi Crown Prince: We Fund 20% Of Clinton’s Presidential Campaign
The Saudi crown prince reportedly said that over the years his country has always financially supported both Republican and Democratic candidates.
By teleSUR | June 13, 2016
▻http://www.mintpressnews.com/saudi-crown-prince-we-fund-20-of-clintons-presidential-campaign/217172
Saudi Arabia has paid more than 20 percent of the cost of Hillary Clinton’s campaign for presidential elections, Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was quoted as saying Sunday in a news report by the Jordanian Petra News Agency.
According to the Middle East Eye news website, the report was later deleted from the agency’s website. However, a snapshot of the original Arabic version was later republished by the Washington-based Institute for Gulf Affairs.
“Saudi Arabia has always sponsored both Republican and Democratic Parties of America and… the kingdom also provides with full enthusiasm 20 percent of the cost of Hillary Clinton’s campaign in the U.S. presidential elections despite the fact that some influential forces within the country don’t have a positive look toward supporting the candidate because she is a woman,” the agency’s report quoted Prince Mohammed as saying.
Call for Saudis to be a solar power
▻http://us6.campaign-archive1.com/?u=6e13c74c17ec527c4be72d64f&id=9e2f44f9db&e=08052803c8
Call for Saudis to be
a solar power
Saudi Arabia says it plans to be less dependent on oil revenues in future – but will it grasp the opportunity to become a world leader in solar energy?
By Kieran Cooke
LONDON, 13 April, 2016 − The announcement by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia sent tremors through global energy markets.
He said that the desert kingdom – the world’s biggest oil exporter – would, within 20 years, no longer be dependent on oil revenues and plans to use an estimated US$2 trillion in assets to diversify the country’s economy and invest in companies and projects around the globe.
Biggest Ever Saudi Overhaul Targets $100 Billion of Revenue
▻http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-04/biggest-ever-saudi-overhaul-targets-100-billion-of-new-revenue
The biggest economic shake-up since the founding of Saudi Arabia would accelerate subsidy cuts and impose more levies, a plan to spread the burden of lower crude prices among a population more accustomed to government largess.
Outlining his vision in a five-hour interview with Bloomberg News last week, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the measures would raise at least an extra $100 billion a year by 2020, more than tripling non-oil income and balancing the budget.
وكالة الأنباء السعودية
▻http://was.sa/1474032
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls received here today Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior.
Following the reception, the French Prime Minister and the Crown Prince held official talks.
During the session of talks, they reviewed bilateral relations and discussed ways of enhancing cooperation in all fields. They also discussed the latest developments at the regional arena and the two countries’ stances towards them. The two sides discussed ways of achieving stability, security and peace in the region in addition to enhancing cooperation between the two countries in the field of combating extremism and terrorism in all their forms and manifestations
This young prince could be the next Saudi king - The Washington Post
▻https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/tablet/wp/2016/01/15/2016/01/15/biggest-story-you-missed-this-young-prince-could-be-the-next-saudi-king/?wpisrc=nl_draw2
Late last year, Germany’s intelligence service issued a stern warning about Saudi Arabia: King Salman and his 30-year-old son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, want to become “the dominant rulers of the Arab world,” it claimed.
The entire region could be destabilized by their quest and the internal power struggles under way in the kingdom, the memo said.
..."مجتهد" : بن سلمان يسعى لسحب
▻http://www.almanar.com.lb/adetails.php?eid=1378364
“مجتهد” : بن سلمان يسعى لسحب “البند السري في محاربة الإرهاب” من بن نايف
Mujtahid [compte Twitter très suivi en Arabie saoudite et au-delà] : Bin Salman [30ans, min de la Défense, vice prince héritier] essaie de capter le « fonds secret » de luttre contre le terrorisme des mains de Bin Nayef [56 ans, prince hériter, min. de l’Intérieur].
.
Le fonds, qui n’est pas comptabilisé dans le budget, permettrait environ 30 millions de dollars PAR JOUR ! Comme le min. de l’Intérieur a déjà un budget propre, Moh. bin Nayef en garde probablement une bonne partie pour ses menues dépenses personnelles. Sur 10 ans, conclut le Tweeteriste, cela doit faire des dizaines, voire des centaines de MILLIARDS de dollars.
Imaginons que cet argent soit investi au développement de la région... Cela changerait pas mal de chose à l’actuelle #catastrophe_arabe.
En anglais ici : ▻http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=245705&cid=23&fromval=1&frid=23&seccatid=28&s1=1
The Saudi tweeter Mojtahed revealed that the deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammad bin Salman “is seriously considering to control the confidential item in the fight against terrorism”, which has been completely under the control of the Crown Prince and Interior Minister Mohammad bin Nayef, since ten years.
Mojtahed explained that “this item, which is listed out of the budget, costs daily SR 50 million spent in the kingdom, and $ 10 million outside the kingdom, i.e. a total cost of f 87.5 million riyals daily.”
“Bin Nayef enjoys the right to dispose annual total of 32 billion riyals a year in confidential items of the Royal Court that are not subjected to any follow-up,” the Saudi tweeter said.
“After the announcement of the Islamic Military Alliance against terrorism, no one can rule out that Bin Salman could issue a royal order making this item at his disposal, hitting Bin Nayef a severe blow,” he added.
Muslim Brotherhood review: A tale of UK-UAE relations | Middle East Eye
▻http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/muslim-brotherhood-review-tale-uk-uae-relations-378120043
The UK government published on Thursday the main findings of a review into the Muslim Brotherhood, bringing an end to a story that has been riddled with controversy and raised questions about the influence of foreign interests on British officials.
The review, led by the former UK ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Sir John Jenkins, has not proscribed the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation, but Prime Minister David Cameron has said membership of the group was a “possible indicator of extremism”.
This outcome will likely fall far short of the expectations of the United Arab Emirates, which is known to have played a key – if not crucial – role in the commissioning of the report.
While other Gulf states, principally Saudi Arabia, have been said to have played a role in the review being commissioned, this is ultimately a tale about the most powerful man in the UAE and how his politics has driven British-Emirati relations over the past five years.
In November, the Guardian reported that the UAE had lobbied Cameron to crack down on the Brotherhood in exchange for lucrative arms and oil contracts.
According to the report, several high-profile Emirati figures were involved, but the key lobbying figure was Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, popularly known as MbZ in the Gulf.
MbZ is widely accepted as being the de facto UAE president, with incumbent Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan rarely seen or heard amid rumours he is seriously unwell.
MbZ’s personal vendetta
– See more at: ▻http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/muslim-brotherhood-review-tale-uk-uae-relations-378120043#sthash.mbZ1
The Emirati plan for ruling Egypt
▻http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/exclusive-emirati-plan-ruling-egypt-2084590756
A top-secret strategy document prepared for Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan reveals that the United Arab Emirates is losing faith in the ability of Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to serve the Gulf state’s interests.
The document, prepared by one of Bin Zayed’s team and dated 12 October, contains two key quotes which describe the frustration bin Zayed feels about Sisi, whose military coup the Crown Prince bankrolled, pouring in billions of dollars along with Saudi Arabia. It says: “This guy needs to know that I am not an ATM machine.” Further on, it also reveals the political price the Emiratis will exact if they continue to fund Egypt.
Future strategy should be based on not just attempting to influence the government in Egypt but to control it. It is summarised thus: “Now I will give but under my conditions. If I give, I rule.”
Saudi Arabia will not stop pumping to boost oil prices - Financial Times
▻http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b639a458-8600-11e5-9f8c-a8d619fa707c.html#ixzz3qzE9lYg9
Saudi Arabia is determined to stick to its policy of pumping enough oil to protect its global market share, despite the financial pain inflicted on the kingdom’s economy.
Officials have told the Financial Times that the world’s largest exporter will produce enough oil to meet customer demand, indicating that the kingdom is in no mood to change tack ahead of the December 4 meeting in Vienna of the producers’ cartel Opec.
“The only thing to do now is to let the market do its job,” said Khalid al-Falih, chairman of the state-owned Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco). “There have been no conversations here that say we should cut production now that we’ve seen the pain.”
Saudi Arabia rocked oil markets last November when Opec decided against production cuts, making clear that the kingdom was abandoning its policy of reducing supplies to stabilise the price.
Since then, the oil price has collapsed from a high of $115 a barrel last year to $50 a barrel.
Global oil companies, which have put hundreds of billions of dollars of investment on hold as a result of low prices, will be disappointed by the Kingdom’s stance.
The effect on business sentiment has sparked domestic criticism of the market share policy engineered by Ali al-Naimi, the oil minister, and agreed by both the late King Abdullah and the current King Salman, who was crown prince last year and ascended the throne in January.
Officials in Riyadh say their policy will be vindicated in one to two years when revived demand swallows the global oil glut and prices begin to recover.
They argue that in the past, Opec output cuts raised prices to levels where more expensive production, such as shale and deep-sea oil, could flourish. Moving ahead, Opec — led by Saudi Arabia — plans to pump as much as it can towards meeting global oil demand, leaving higher-cost producers to make up the remainder.
$100 oil was perceived as a guarantee of no risk for investment. Now, the insurance policy that’s been provided free of charge by Saudi Arabia does not exist any more
– Khalid al-Falih, chairman of Saudi Aramco
For higher-cost producers, “$100 oil was perceived as a guarantee of no risk for investment”, said Mr Falih. “Now, the insurance policy that’s been provided free of charge by Saudi Arabia does not exist any more.”
Mr Falih, who is also health minister, forecast the market would come into balance in the new year, and then demand would start to suck up inventories and storage on oil tankers. “Hopefully, however, there will be enough investment to meet the needs beyond 2017.”
Other officials also estimated that it would probably take one to two years for the market to clear up the oil market glut, allowing prices to recover towards $70-$80 a barrel.
The fall in government revenues has pushed Saudi Arabia’s oil-dependent economy into a fiscal crunch. To fund this year’s budget deficit of 20 per cent of gross domestic product, the government is dipping into its massive financial reserves.
Officials are also working on a more sustainable strategy to curtail spending, which has ballooned in recent years.
Delaying infrastructure projects, such as the Riyadh underground, and enforcing a spending squeeze across government departments has brought a slowdown in the private sector.
Senior officials dismiss the domestic criticism of the oil policy, saying other producers would have quickly replaced any Saudi production cuts with new output.
Officials, however, acknowledge that the extent of the oil price slump has been deeper than initially envisaged.
“We knew that it was going to be painful but the extent of the pain went beyond our expectations,” said Mr Falih. “The market has overreacted as it typically does in such down-cycles.”
But oil producers are now cancelling projects outright, rather than just deferring them, raising concerns of a future jump in price if demand outpaces supply.
“Now everyone is running to the exit and projects are being cancelled,” said Mr Falih. “That’s necessary, but what will happen five to 10 years from now? Investment is needed.”
« Pakistan et Arabie saoudite se réconcilient après le désaccord sur le Yémen » - Brookings
▻http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/markaz/posts/2015/11/08-saudi-pakistan-reconciliation-yemen-peacekeeping-riedel
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are resetting their relationship, which was dealt a major setback earlier this year when Islamabad refused to join the Saudi war in Yemen.
Pakistan’s chief of army staff, General Raheel Sharif, visited Riyadh last week and held talks with King Salman, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, and Defense Minister Prince Muhammad bin Salman. A joint Saudi-Pakistani military exercise was also concluded. The Saudi media hailed the visit as an end to the “somewhat cool” period that followed the unanimous vote in the Pakistani parliament last April against sending any troops to join the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
The vote was followed by a wave of editorials in the Pakistani press harshly critical of the Kingdom. This criticism was highly unusual given the long history of close relations between the two states.
UAE told UK : crack down on Muslim Brotherhood or lose arms deals - Guardian
▻http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/06/uae-told-uk-crack-down-on-muslim-brotherhood-or-lose-arms-deals
Files reveal plans for crown prince to demand David Cameron act against Islamist group in return for BAE Systems and BP deals
A cyclone brews over Saudi Arabia - The Washington Post
▻https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-storm-brews-in-saudi-arabia/2015/10/13/886328c0-71e1-11e5-9cbb-790369643cf9_story.html
An internal political storm is roiling Saudi Arabia, as the crown prince and his deputy jockey for power under an aging King Salman — while some other members of the royal family agitate on behalf of a third senior prince who they claim would have wider family support.
▻http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.678048
A senior Saudi prince and grandson of the state’s founder has issued an unprecedented call for change in the country’s leadership, the Guardian reported on Monday.
The prince, who was not named for security reasons, wrote two letters to members of the sprawling royal family earlier this month calling for the removal of the current leader, King Salman, who ascended to the throne in January this year.
The prince reportedly told the Guardian that the king is not in good health and that recent events in the kingdom have led to disquiet in the royal family, as well as among the wider public.
“The king is not in a stable condition and in reality the son of the king [Mohammed bin Salman] is ruling the kingdom,” the prince is quoted as saying.
He added that he expected four or five of his uncles, Salman’s brothers and half-brothers, to meet shortly and discuss the issues he raised in his letters.
“They are making a plan with a lot of nephews and that will open the door,” he said. "A lot of the second generation is very anxious.”
“The public are also pushing this very hard, all kinds of people, tribal leaders,” the prince added. “They say you have to do this or the country will go to disaster.”
The kingdom has been buffeted by a series of setbacks recently: The precipitous drop in the price of oil, Saudi Arabia’s key export, a draining war against Shi’ite rebels in neighboring Yemen and, most recently, two disasters during the recent hajj in Mecca that left over 800 people dead.
Blame for country’s slow and hesitant response to the hajj deaths and its halting efforts to deal with the other challenges is being laid at the door of King Salman, his crown prince, Mohammed bin Nayef, and the deputy crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, Salman’s son.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a new arrival to the Saudi senior leadership team, has quickly become one of the most controversial. Although still very young by Saudi standards – officially 35 but rumored to be much younger – he holds a multitude of posts including minister of defense and chair of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs, which is the country’s main economic policymaking committee.
Nicknamed “Reckless,” the prince is regarded as being the main proponent of the war in Yemen, which continues to grind on, despite punishing attacks by the Saudi air force and ground forces.
Now, many are accusing Mohammed bin Salman of rushing into the war without a proper military strategy or an exit plan.
The letters from the unnamed prince call on the 13 surviving sons of Ibn Saud – specifically the princes Talal, Turki and Ahmed bin Abdulaziz – to unite and remove the leadership in a palace coup, before choosing a new government from within the royal family.
“Allow the oldest and most capable to take over the affairs of the state, let the new king and crown prince take allegiance from all, and cancel the strange, new rank of second deputy premier,” states the first letter.
“We are calling for the sons of Ibn Saud from the oldest Bandar, to the youngest, Muqrin, to make an urgent meeting with the senior family members to investigate the situation and find out what can be done to save the country, to make changes in the important ranks, to bring in expertise from the ruling family whatever generation they are from.”
The letters are the clearest indication of strife within the royal family since King Faisal deposed King Saud in a palace coup in 1964.