Word: abdullah
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...simply restating an old formula for Middle East peace at a critical moment, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud not only grabbed this week's headlines, he shifted the terms of debate on the troubled region and caused something approaching a diplomatic earthquake felt in Jerusalem, Cairo, Europe and Washington...
...seem somewhat unlikely that a dinner conversation between a Saudi prince and a New York Times columnist could have such profound diplomatic consequences. (Abdullah's offer first came to light in conversation with the Times' Thomas Friedman.) Ariel Sharon was cajoled by the positive reaction of much of the Israeli political establishment - and, perhaps more importantly, by the same from the Bush administration - to take the offer seriously. EU security chief Javier Solana flew to Riyadh to discuss ways of promoting the initiative. And renewed talk of peace deals even appears to have sparked a mud fight between the Bush...
...Despite its casual dinner-table origins, Crown Prince Abdullah's proposal was a canny intervention, right down to the choice of Friedman - one of Saudi Arabia's most persistent critics in the U.S. media since September 11 - as his messenger...
...single issue stokes the fires of the Arab street as fiercely as the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians does - that's why it takes center-stage, for example, the propaganda of Osama bin Laden. As the situation deteriorates, Abdullah is worried that failure to resolve that conflict soon may imperil the ability of moderate Arab regimes to work with the U.S. in the region, and eventually even their own survival in the face of extremist challenges...
...Despite a strong element of wariness, Sharon's office on Monday described the Saudi initiative as a "positive trend," although aides hastened to reject the notion of Israel withdrawing to the 1967 borders. Peres was more effusive, retaining the right to negotiate the precise boundaries but calling Abdullah's plan "a fascinating, interesting new opportunity." Even some members of Sharon's own party, such as justice minister Meir Sheetrit and President Moshe Katsav, called for immediate dialogue with the Saudis over the proposal...