Word: saudi
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When Britain's law enforcement authorities began probing allegations that the leading British arms manufacturer had paid bribes to a senior Saudi official, then Prime Minister Tony Blair called a halt to the probe. Its continuation, he warned, would jeopardize British national interests. But the same allegations have resurfaced at the center of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, with potentially explosive consequences...
...Saudi leader at the center of the investigation is Prince Bandar bin-Sultan, who in 2005 wrapped up more than 20 years service as the Kingdom's ambassador in Washington, D.C. Widely praised as an astute player on the global diplomatic stage, Bandar - also known for his intimate access to the highest levels of the U.S. government and his friendship with both President Bush and his father, former President George H. W. Bush - assumed a less visible role as a top national security advisor to the Saudi ruler, King Abdullah...
Another potential obstacle lies among the Arabs: disagreement over how to handle Hamas. That quabbling that could eventually distract the parties from their main aim of getting Israeli-Palestinian talks back on track. Saudi Arabia, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel and did not attend the Sharm el-Sheikh meeting, seeks to restore Palestinian unity along the lines of the Saudi-mediated Mecca Agreement that led to a power-sharing government comprised of Hamas and Abbas' Fatah party. Jordan's King Abdullah, however, is adamant that Hamas be excluded to give Abbas more freedom of action - and also...
Second, the Arab sources add, by refusing to recognize the Palestinian unity government formed in February in the hope of ending the financial siege, the U.S. and Israel handed Hamas and Fatah an excuse to resume their turf battles. In a TIME interview last month, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal hinted at his government's disappointment. "Palestinians bear the main responsibility, but I think the Western countries and United States could have acted more positively," he said. "For an agreement like that, if you don't show signs of acceptance, and of inclusiveness, it does damage the effort...
...summit comes against a backdrop of deepening Arab frustration and despair over the failure to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, worsened by the spectacle of Palestinians killing each other. "Gaza has become an embarrassing and frightening scene evoking sorrow and grief in the hearts," Saudi commentator Abdulrahman al-Rashid wrote in the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat last week. Lately, Arab officials have grown anxious that their own increased diplomatic efforts are going unrewarded as they watch the growing influence of Iran, which backs radical Arab factions, including Hamas. While Hamas' power play humiliated the Saudis...