November 8, 2002. Copyright, 2002, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Key players in Middle East melting pot: Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
By Joanna Griffin

LONDON, November 8, Graphic News:  Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, is caught on the horns of a dilemma spikier than that facing any other regional leader. In the past, the kingdom and the United States enjoyed smooth relations greased by oil and strategic interests. But the news that most of the September 11 hijackers were Saudi nationals and WashigtonÕs Òwar on terrorÓ have strained the friendship to breaking point: many Islamic shrines are suspected of being breeding grounds for followers of Osama Bin Laden. Crown Prince Abdullah, who took over when his half brother King Fahd had a stroke in 1995, must walk a tightrope between alienating the kingdomÕs traditional strategic protector and keeping the support of the Wahhabi religious establishment, and the Saudi people. Riyadh is not just a linchpin in the war on terror but also in any strategic attack on Iraq. In 1991 Saudi Arabia was the launch pad for a strike on Baghdad, but this time the Saudis have refused to allow their air bases to be used even if there is UN backing for a war. They have, however, urged Saddam to cooperate to avoid a showdown. Earlier this year Crown Prince Abdullah, a gentle man raised in the desert by Bedouins and admired for his relatively frugal lifestyle, won plaudits for his ill-fated plan to end the Israel-Palestine conflict. Still angry about ÒunconditionalÓ U.S. backing for Israel, he has tried to use Saudi support as a bargaining chip, demanding that the U.S. breathes life into the peace process, and even threatening to join a regional oil embargo. The question for many analysts is to what extent the Whie House under the Bush administration values this currency.
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