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U.S. and Saudi Arabia make a deal
By Wolf Blitzer
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- For the Saudis, it doesn't get much more politically sensitive than this. The issue: The use by the United States of the sprawling Prince Sultan Air Base outside Riyadh. More than 5,000 U.S. personnel are based there; U.S. warplanes take off on a nearly daily basis to patrol the southern no-fly zone in Iraq. That's been going on for years. But now comes word the United States and Saudi governments have reached a new agreement that will allow U.S. troops and equipment to be used in the event of war with Iraq. Richard Boucher, the State Department spokesman said Wednesday, "We've had very productive meetings regarding military cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the event of military action against Iraq." As outlined by U.S. and Saudi sources, the new arrangement will permit U.S. AWACS, aerial refueling tankers, reconnaissance aircraft and other planes to be used. U.S. command and control facilities at Prince Sultan also will be available to help Commanding Gen. Tommy Franks and his war planners, who themselves will be based at the As Saliyah military facility in nearby Qatar. The U.S.-Saudi deal is not a huge surprise -- given the countries' close strategic relationship and history of military cooperation, especially since the Persian Gulf War. That was underlined to me when I was there in December and spent some time with the U.S. Air Force wing commander, Brig. Gen. Dale Waters. He told me, "We've been flying southern watch out of Saudi for 10 years. We couldn't do that without the support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." But the new arrangement provides the U.S. military with yet another vital link. Still, it's a very dicey matter for the Saudis. After the 1991 Gulf War, Osama bin Laden, himself a Saudi, went to war against the United States and Saudi Arabia because U.S. troops remained on what he regarded as sacred Saudi soil. Saudi Arabia is home to Islam's holiest sites. That helps explain why Saudi Foreign Minister is seeking to play down this latest development -- telling reporters the Prince Sultan base would be used only in connection with the 1991 agreement that ended the Gulf War.
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