The meeting that took today between Secretary of Defense Cohen and Sultan bin Abdul Aziz was watered down by the media and certainly by PR machine of Saudi Arabia. Why? Because secret talks about defense expenditures and monies to be paid by Saudi Arabia to keep US troops stationed there were discussed. Plans to militarily position Saudi Arabia to play a part to dispose of Saddam Hussein in an emergency plan of action were discussed without any commitment from the US in terms of funding or approval. A new direct link between the Defense Ministry of Saudi Arabia and the Pentagon was established giving Sultan a "Red Phone" approach to dealing with the United States which may come handy in light of a new secret policy towards Iraq. The Pentagon issued a press release praising the US-Saudi relationships and hinting at the new open line of communications between the US and Saudi Arabia. Here is a copy of that release :

UNITED STATES - SAUDI ARABIA JOINT STATEMENT

His Royal Highness Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, the Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation, and Inspector General, and his delegation was received at the Pentagon today by Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen for in- depth discussions of bilateral security relations and other matters. Prince Sultan was accorded a full honors parade and inspected the honor guard upon his arrival.

In their talks, the two ministers reaffirmed the close ties in the defense area that have characterized the relationship between their two countries for many years. The two ministers discussed in detail the arrangements that have been made in recent months to improve the security and safety of American military personnel, and Secretary Cohen praised the support and cooperation given in this regard by Saudi Arabia. The Saudi minister confirmed the Kingdom's continued commitment.

As evidence of the close security ties between Saudi Arabia and the United States, the two ministers reaffirmed their commitment to close consultations, especially in time of crisis, and agreed to establish a Direct Telephone Link for secure communications between their respective offices.

The ministers noted the sixth anniversary of the cease-fire ending the Gulf War which will be commemorated this week. In this regard, they noted the findings stemming from United Nations Security Council-directed inspections that confirmed the grave risks from chemical weapons that were faced by the Coalition forces that liberated Kuwait in 1991. The importance that both countries place on the Chemical Weapons Convention as the principal means to eliminate this form of weapons of mass destruction was confirmed. Secretary Cohen praised the leadership of the Kingdom in having already ratified the Convention and set an example for the region and the entire international community.

His Royal Highness invited Secretary Cohen to visit the Kingdom at his earliest convenience to see for himself the progress made by Saudi Arabia in modernizing its military forces for the defense of the country. Secretary Cohen accepted the invitation and hopes to travel to the Gulf later this year, when he will also visit U.S. military forces and review recent force protection initiatives.

CACSA believes that Sultan's meeting with Cohen follows in the tradition of building consensus with the power houses in the Clinton Administration in addition to the protocol issue of meeting your counterpart on official visits. But more than that, Sultan is building a case for the permanent removal of US troops from Saudi Arabia. He is reasoning that the only reason why troops are stationed in the first place is because of the perceived threat by Saddam Hussein. If that threat is removed then the US troops have no logical reason to stay stationed in the region. How simplistic of him and Bandar. How naive our beloved leaders in Saudi Arabia are !!

Russia as a threat no longer exists in Eastern Europe yet NATO is expanding its hemisphere of influence to include Eastern European countries. If Saddam Hussein is removed as a threat, Iran, Khasakistan, Afghanistan, etc.. will all replace the ghost of Saddam. The United States did not go into Saudi Arabia to be removed few years later. They are here to stay as long as oil plays an important strategic commodity to any army, country, and system that could remotely threaten the interests of the United States. Today, these interests have been exponentially expanded due to the expansion role the US plays in world politics. Microsoft domination of the software industry in China is the interests of the United States. With that in mind, the US is the angel guardian of the only weapon that could dismantle them from their independence and technological superiority. With all this background information and knowledge, Bandar and his father Sultan think they can persuade the US to remove its troops from the Gulf. Good luck.

Other than these pesky maneuvers by Sultan, Cohen was not too impressed. His learning curve and acceptance at the pentagon is still in question as he builds his house. Nonetheless, Saudi Arabia is pushing for an agenda that is a total waste of time and Cohen is too green still to express these thoughts directly to Sultan. maybe Albright will if she is pushed into one agenda or another. For that, we will see tomorrow.