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  • A Saudi-Pakistani nuclear nexus?

    Saudi Arabia secretly getting nuclear weapons from Pakistan
    URL: http://www.india-defence.com/reports/1637
    Date: 29/3/2006
    Agency: Cicero
    Topics: pakistan saudi arabia nuclear

    Berlin: Saudi Arabia is working secretly on a nuclear programme, with help from Pakistani experts, the German magazine Cicero reports in its latest edition, citing western security sources.

    It says that during the Haj pilgrimages to Mecca in 2003 through 2005, Pakistani scientists posed as pilgrims to come to Saudi Arabia in aircraft laid on by the oil-rich kingdom.

    Between October 2004 and January 2005, some of them took the opportunity to "disappear" from their hotel rooms, sometimes for up to three weeks, it quoted German security expert Udo Ulfkotte as saying.

    According to western security services, the magazine added, Saudi scientists have been working since the mid-1990s in Pakistan, a nuclear power since 1998 thanks to the work of the now-disgraced Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan.

    Cicero, which will appear on newsstands tomorrow, also quoted a US military analyst, John Pike, as saying that Saudi bar codes can be found on half of Pakistan's nuclear weapons "because it is Saudi Arabia which ultimately co-financed the Pakistani atomic nuclear programme".

    The magazine also said satellite images prove that Saudi Arabia has set up in al-Sulaiyil, South of Riyadh, a secret underground city and dozens of underground silos for missiles.

    According to some western security services, long-range Ghauri-type missiles of Pakistani-origin are housed inside the silos.
    I rant, therefore I am.

  • #2
    Saudis, with Pakistani help, working on nuclear programme
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060328...arabiapakistan
    I rant, therefore I am.

    Comment


    • #3
      Countries of Strategic Nuclear Concern – Saudi Arabia
      http://www.sipri.org/contents/expcon/cnsc2sau.html

      Past nuclear policies

      An examination of Saudi Arabia’s nuclear diplomacy over the past few decades suggests that the Kingdom may have already recognized the unique role that nuclear weapons could play in Saudi security doctrine. During the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, rumours circulated in Arab capitals that Israel had threatened to use its ‘basement’ nuclear arsenal to prevent invasion by its enemies. Such a threat has never been confirmed, according to Mohammed Khilewi, the former Saudi diplomat and nuclear physicist who defected to the United States in 1994. Yet, the Arab defeat at the hands of Israel in 1973, in addition to the nuclear threat that preceded it, fueled Saudi support of an ‘Islamic bomb.’ According to Khilewi, a Saudi weapons programme was established under the command of Prince Sultan, the Defence Minister and brother of King Fahd. The programme was based at the Al-Kharj nuclear research center in the desert military complext at Al-Sulayyil. Under the programme, foreign nuclear experts were recruited to work on compiling a nuclear library of scientific literature on the technology of nuclear weapons programmes of other countries. Saudi technicians spent months training in the nuclear weapons facilities of Iraq and Pakistan.[2]

      The commencement of Pakistan’s nuclear programme around the same time was seen by the Saudis as an opportunity to help build the ‘Islamic bomb’ rather than competition. Beginning in 1975, the Saudis transferred funds into the Pakistani nuclear programme. According to former CIA analyst Robert Baer, this assistance amounted to ‘one billion dollars … to help Pakistan develop an “Islamic bomb”’ and another one billion dollars to ‘enable Pakistan to develop nuclear-capable F-16s from the United States in the 1980’s.’[3] Khilewi maintains that, in exchange for this assistance, the two countries had signed a pact whereby Pakistani nuclear weapons might be used to defend Saudi Arabia against foreign aggression.[4]

      A former senior China analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency Thomas Woodrow has suggested that the Saudi Arabian financing of Pakistan’s nuclear and missile purchases from China is actually being actively encouraged and driven by the latter. According to this argument, China’s motive would be to secure access to energy resources as an essential component of its economic and foreign policy, national security and military strategy. In the attempt to hide the direct link, China has chosen Pakistan as the vehicle for this collaboration. In essence, ‘Saudi Arabia could be buying a nuclear capability from China through a proxy state with Pakistan serving as the cutout.’[5]

      Chinese contributed directly to Saudi Arabia’s military programme via the sale of nuclear payload-capable CSS-2 missiles in the late 1980s. In March 1988, reports that Saudi Arabia brokered a clandestine deal with China to purchase around 50-60 CSS-2 (Dong-Feng 3) intermediate-range ballistic missiles surfaced in the media.[6] The missile, which mirrored the Russian R-12/SS-4 missile, is designed to carry a nuclear warhead and is equipped as such in China. Both countries have made assurances that Saudi missiles will not carry a non-conventional payload. Additionally, the missiles have been heavily modified to carry a conventional warhead.[7] Nonetheless, the missile’s circular error probable (CEP) -- the diameter of a circle within which half of missiles are expected to land -- of 1-1.5 miles, makes it an inadequate conventional weapon. Milhollin and White have argued that ‘only the large blast radius of a nuclear explosion could compensate for the inaccuracy of the missile.’[8]

      According to Khilewi’s account, during the 1980’s Saudi Arabia also sent massive aid to Iraq in its war against Iran. Of the $25 billion that the Kingdom is believed to have sent to support Saddam Hussein during the 1980’s, nearly $5 billion was marked for Iraq’s clandestine nuclear weapons projects. This included advanced uranium enrichment programs, and possibly an offer to finance rebuilding the Osirak reactor destroyed by Israel in 1981. Khilewi asserts that Iraq had agreed to share its nuclear arsenal with Saudi Arabia in exchange for economic assistance.

      After Pakistan’s ‘success’ in developing and testing its nuclear arsenal in 1998, Saudi aid continued even as other sources of aid to Pakistan dried up. Saudi Arabia was providing Pakistan with 150,000 barrels of oil per day as undocumented assistance. Undoubtedly, this assistance helped to subsidize Pakistan’s nuclear weapons enterprise. Nuclear ties between the two countries grew so close that Sultan Ibn Abdul-Aziz, the Saudi Minister of Defense, was invited to tour the Pakistani uranium enrichment facility at Kahuta, the Khan Research Laboratories. He was one of the few foreigners to be granted such an opportunity. In November 1999, Dr. Abdul Khadeer Khan, the professed father of Pakistani nuclear bomb, and the mastermind behind the global nuclear black market, visited Saudi Arabia to attend a Symposium on Information Sources in the Islamic World. In October 2003, reports in the Western media again surfaced that the two countries had concluded a nuclear defense pact, although such allegations were strongly denied by both sides.

      The Kingdom is currently a signatory to the three major global regimes to prevent the proliferation of WMD: the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). Despite its accession to the NPT, and its regular participation in the NPT review process, its commitment to nuclear non-proliferation is not impeccable. Its decision to accede to the NPT was made only in 1988, perhaps mainly to placate the United States following its outrage over the purchase of Chinese ballistic missiles. Its commitment to nuclear non-proliferation has not resulted in a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency for more stringent inspections of nuclear-related facilities. Moreover, the Saudis refused to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Such resistance may be further evidence that Saudi Arabia is seeking to keep its options open regarding future nuclear weapons development.

      According to an article in The Guardian in September 2003, Saudi Arabia recently undertook a strategy review of its options regarding national security and nuclear weapons. The review outlined three options available to Saudi Arabia: 1) acquire a nuclear deterrent; 2) enter into alliance with an existing nuclear power that would assure protection under nuclear umbrella; and, 3) work for a nuclear-free Middle East. Since Israel is unlikely to abandon its ‘basement’ nuclear arsenal, and Iran appears close to developing the technical base that could support a nuclear weapon programme, the prospects for a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East appear somewhat remote. Saudi Arabia’s limited technical infrastructure is inadequate to support an indigenous weapon development programme. Because of its history of cooperation and exchange with foreign nuclear powers, in addition to the nation’s tremendous wealth, however, procurement from foreign sources is not unforeseeable.

      Sources

      [2] Marie Colvin, ‘How an Insider Lifted the Veil on Saudi Plot for an “Islamic Bomb”,’Sunday Times, 24 July 1994, via Lexis-Nexis.
      [3] Cited in ‘Axis of Evidence: The Beijing-Islamabad-Riyadh nuclear nexus poses new challenges,’ The Indian Express, 13 November 2003.
      [4] ‘Nuclear Weapons Allegedly Sought,’ Fact on File World News Digest, 11 August 1994, via Lexis-Nexis.
      [5] Thomas Woodrow, ‘The Sino-Saudi Connection,’ China Brief, Vol. 2, No. 21, 24 October 2002, URL http://www.jamestown.org/publication...rticle_id=4680.
      [6] John Goshko, ‘China Sells Missiles to Saudi Arabia,’ The Guardian (London), 19 March 1988, via Lexis-Nexis; Ronen Bergman, ‘El-Sulayil Missile Base – Saudi Desert’ Yediot Ahronot, 27 March 2002, text provided by GlobalSecurity.org, URL http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/ne...327-saudi.htm; ‘Saudi CSS-2 Missiles Now Operational,’ Flight International, 6 June 1990, via Lexis-Nexis; Gary Milhollin and Gerard White, ‘Bombs From Beijing: A Report on China’s Nuclear and Missile Exports,’ The Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control, May 1991, URL http://www.wisconsinproject.org/pubs...s-beijing.html.
      [7] ‘China's Missile Exports and Assistance to Saudi Arabia,’ Nuclear Threat Initiative, 2003, URL http://www.nti.org/db/china/msarpos.htm.
      [8] Gary Milhollin and Gerard White, ‘Bombs from Beijing: A Report on China’s Nuclear and Missile Exports,’ The Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control, May 1991, URL http://www.wisconsinproject.org/pubs...s-beijing.html.
      [9] Marie Colvin, ‘How an Insider Lifted the Veil on Saudi Plot for an “Islamic Bomb”,’Sunday Times, 24 July 1994, via Lexis-Nexis.
      [10] Shyam Bhatia, ‘Gaddafi’s Largesse: India Owes the Libyan Leader for Spilling the Beans on Pakistan’s Nuclear Bomb,’ India Abroad, 16 January 2004, via Lexis-Nexis.
      [11] Arnaud de Borchgrave, ‘Pakistan, Saudi Arabia in Secret Nuke Pact,’ The Washington Times, 22 October 2003, via Lexis-Nexis; Yossef Bodansky and Gregory R. Copley, ‘A New Nuclear Age: Pakistan’s Accord to Place Nuclear Weapons and Long-Range Missiles in Saudi Arabia Places European and Indian Targets Within Reach,’ Defense & Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy, October 2003, via Lexis-Nexis.
      [12] Ewen MacAskill and Ian Traynor, ‘Saudis Consider Nuclear Bomb,’ Guardian Unlimited Online, 18 September 2003.
      I rant, therefore I am.

      Comment


      • #4
        Will Saudi Arabia Acquire Nuclear Weapons?
        http://www.nti.org/e_research/e3_40a.html

        In the course of the last decade, concerns that Saudi Arabia would seek to acquire nuclear weapons have arisen periodically. These concerns have largely been driven by Saudi Arabia’s geopolitical situation, which some analysts suggest gives the country a number of strong incentives to develop its own nuclear arsenal. However, no solid evidence has yet appeared in open source material demonstrating that Saudi Arabia is seeking nuclear weapons. Nevertheless, these concerns merit reexamination in the wake of the recent revelations about the proliferation activities of Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the former head of the Pakistani nuclear weapons program. Khan sold or offered nuclear weapons technology to several Middle Eastern states, including Iran, Iraq, Libya, and Syria. No direct evidence has emerged confirming that Khan made similar offers to Saudi Arabia, but longstanding suspicions of nuclear cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are cause for continued concern.

        Saudi Arabia has several reasons to consider acquiring nuclear weapons: the current volatile security environment in the Middle East; its ambition to dominate the region; and the growing number of states (particularly Iran and Israel) with weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the region. According to the British newspaper The Guardian, for example, Saudi Arabia worries about an alleged Iranian nuclear program and the absence of any international pressure on Israel (estimated to have up to 200 nuclear devices) to disarm.[1] Richard L. Russell, a research associate at Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, also mentions the insecurity and regional proliferation of WMD as a major motivation for Riyadh’s steps toward procuring a nuclear deterrent. Russell notes Saudi Arabia’s clandestine purchase of long-range CSS-2 ballistic missiles (capable of delivering nuclear weapons) from China in the 1980s as an indication of Saudi ambitions to acquire nuclear weapons.[2] Also, given the Saudi’s growing hostilities toward the United States and the evident deterioration of U.S.-Saudi security ties, particularly after the September 11 terrorist attacks, it is likely that the Saudi government would consider alternative security arrangements, including a nuclear option.


        King Fahd with Crown Prince Abdullah receiving Chinese President Jiang Zemin in 1999

        In September 2003, an article in The Guardian alleged serious efforts on the part of the Saudis to acquire nuclear weapons.[1] The Guardian referred to a strategy paper, supposedly considered at the highest levels in Riyadh, that set out three options for maintaining national security:
        1. acquiring a nuclear capability as a deterrent;
        2. maintaining or entering into an alliance with an existing nuclear power that would offer protection; and
        3. trying to reach a regional agreement for a nuclear-free Middle East.[1]

        According to The Guardian article, the discussion of the strategy paper was triggered by the current instability in the Middle East, Riyadh’s estrangement from Washington, and the subsequent weakening of its reliance on the U.S. nuclear umbrella.[1] However, the day after the article came out, the Saudi government forcefully denied all allegations put forward by the newspaper. The Saudi Embassy in Washington reacted to the reports, and called them “baseless and totally false.”[3] Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Prince Turki Bin-Muhammad also dismissed the allegations and noted that the Kingdom has always been known for its position in support of making the Middle East region free of weapons of mass destruction.[4] Initiatives to establish a nuclear weapons free zone (NWFZ) in the Middle East have been discussed since 1974. Since that time, several resolutions have been adopted by the United Nations General Assembly urging countries to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and place all nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. Saudi Arabia also joined the coalition of countries demanding a NWFZ in the Middle East, and in May 1999, Ambassador Fazvi A. Shobokshi, Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, officially declared the Kingdom’s interest in efforts to eliminate WMD from the region. However, in his statement, Shobokshi raised concerns over Israel’s refusal to cooperate in these efforts, and stressed that Israel was the only country undermining initiatives for the establishment of the NWFZ in the Middle East. This statement indicates Saudi Arabia’s serious concerns about Israel’s nuclear capabilities.[5]

        Although Saudi officials denied the allegations in The Guardian article about Saudi Arabia’s nuclear ambitions, according to Simon Henderson, a London-based associate of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, The Guardian report had merit. Henderson claims that the report was based on comments at a meeting that was held during a three-day international symposium on “Saudi Arabia, Britain, and the Wider World” organized by the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies. The 29 invited participants at the symposium included the author of The Guardian report, three princes from the Saudi royal family, a Saudi government minister, and two members of the Saudi consultative council. According to Henderson, the Saudi participants discussed the information that formed the basis for The Guardian article on Saudi Arabia’s nuclear options, and the accuracy of The Guardian story was later confirmed by one of the meeting participants.[6]

        The allegations that The Guardian put forward in September 2003 are not really new. Rumors about Riyadh’s possible nuclear ambitions have circulated on several other occasions over the past decade. However, they were not given much attention, possibly because of the absence of evidence of Saudi Arabia’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. According to Saudi defector Mohammed Khilevi, who was first secretary of the Saudi mission to the United Nations until July 1994, Riyadh has sought a bomb since 1975.[7] Khilevi produced documents in support of his charges that between 1985-1990, the Saudi government paid up to five billion dollars to Saddam Hussein to build a nuclear weapon. According to Khilevi, these payments were made on the condition that some of the bombs be transferred to a Saudi arsenal if the Iraqi project were successful.[8] Khilevi also claimed that Saudi Arabia had provided financial contributions to the Pakistani nuclear program, and had signed a secret agreement that obligated the Pakistani government to provide positive security assurances to Saudi Arabia.[8] Citing UN officials, The Guardian also mentions past rumors (dating back 20 years) that the Saudis wanted to pay Pakistan to do research and development on nuclear weapons.[1]

        The recent revelations about the black market nuclear technology network led by Dr. A.Q. Khan, the father of Pakistan’s atomic bomb, increase the probability that suspicions about Saudi nuclear arrangements are credible. In early February 2004, Khan publicly confessed that he had transferred nuclear technologies and know-how to several countries, including Iran, Libya, and North Korea.[9,10] Unconfirmed reports also mention that Khan developed some ties with Syria and Iraq; reportedly those countries rejected Khan’s offer as they mistrusted his intentions.[11] Although Khan stated that his motivation for nuclear proliferation was ideological, it is widely believed that Khan’s activities were motivated by profit.[9,12,13] Given these facts, it is reasonable to suspect that Khan developed ties with Riyadh, which would have been capable of paying for all kinds of nuclear-related services. However, to date, reports have only suggested but not confirmed that Saudi Arabia was among the countries that received Khan’s nuclear assistance.

        Even before the revelations about Khan’s activities, concerns about Saudi-Pakistani nuclear cooperation persisted, largely due to strengthened cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. In particular, the frequent high-level visits of Saudi and Pakistani officials during the last several years raised questions about the extent of Saudi-Pakistani cooperation in defense matters and possible clandestine nuclear cooperation between the two countries. For example, in May 1999, a Saudi Arabian defense team, headed by the Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz visited Pakistan’s highly restricted uranium enrichment and missile assembly factory, a visit that prompted a formal diplomatic complaint from the U.S. government. Reportedly, Prince Sultan was also briefed by Dr. A.Q. Khan.[1,8,14] Khan also visited Saudi Arabia in November 1999 to attend a symposium, “Information Sources on the Islamic World.” The following week, Dr. Saleh al-Athel, president of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology, visited Pakistan to work out the details for cooperation in the fields of engineering, electronics, and computer science.[8] In 2003, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf paid a visit to Saudi Arabia, and Pakistani Prime Minister Mir Zafrallah Khan Jamali visited the Kingdom twice.[6] It is believed that the United States warned Pakistan several times not to provide nuclear assistance to Saudi Arabia.[6]

        Concerns over possible Saudi-Pakistani nuclear cooperation intensified after the October 22-23, 2003 visit of Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz to Pakistan. In connection with this visit, the Washington Times reported that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia concluded a secret agreement on nuclear cooperation, which would provide the Saudis with nuclear-weapons technology in exchange for cheap oil.[14] However, the main allegation regarding this visit was made by Major-General Aharon Zeevi, a senior intelligence officer of the Israeli defense forces, who said that the Saudis had gone to Islamabad with the intention of buying Pakistani warheads, to be placed on Saudi land-based missiles.[15] These claims were vigorously denied by both the Saudi and Pakistani governments. Ahmad Khan, spokesman for the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, called the allegations a “figment of somebody’s imagination,” and part of a disinformation campaign against Pakistan. He added that Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent is for defensive purposes only and is directed towards India.[16] Saudi Arabia has also denied Zeevi’s claim. According to Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, no military agreements were concluded between the two countries.[14]

        Although events and allegations periodically raise international concerns about a possible Saudi nuclear weapons program, the lack of solid open-source evidence makes it difficult to draw decisive conclusions. However, the current geopolitical situation in the Middle East and some disclosed facts (such as Khan’s nuclear black market activities and the unexpected progress of Iran’s and Libya’s nuclear programs) fuel speculations about Riyadh’s possible nuclear arrangements and make certain allegations more credible.

        Sources:
        [1] Ewen MacAskill and Ian Traynor, “Saudis Consider Nuclear Bomb,” Guardian Unlimited online edition, 18 September 2003, www.guardian.co.uk.
        [2] Richard L. Russell, “A Saudi Nuclear Option?” Survival, Vol. 42, No. 2 (Summer 2001), pp. 69-79.
        [3] “No plans to acquire nukes: Saudis,” News.com.au online edition, http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/ 0,4057,7310684%255E1702,00.html.
        [4] “Official Says Kingdom ‘Prepared’ to Answer IAEA Questions,” 22 September 2003; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, http://www.lexisnexis.com.
        [5] Statement by H.E. Amb. Fawzi A. Shobokshi, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, www.nuclearfiles.org/
        hinonproliferationtreaty/99-npt-me-sarabia.html.
        [6] Simon Henderson, “Towards a Saudi Nuclear Option: The Saudi Pakistani Summit,” Columbia International Affairs Online Website, www.ciaonet.org/pbei/winep/policy_2003/2003_793/.
        [7] “Saudi Arabia country profile,” Federation of American Scientists Website, http://www.fas.org/asmp/profiles/saudi_arabia.htm.
        [8] “Saudi Arabia Special Weapons,” GlobalSecurity.org Website, http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/wo...udi/index.html.
        [9] Matthew Pennington, “Pakistan nuclear expert gave info to Iran, others,” WCNC.com Website, http://www.wcnc.com/sharedcontent/nationworld/
        worldprint/020204ccjcintnuclear.766c3ac1.html.
        [10] Owais Tohid, “Pakistani nuclear scientist confesses to sharing secrets,” The Christian Science Monitor online edition, 2 February 2004, http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0202/p07s02-wosc.html.
        [11] Robert Windrem, “Pakistani nuclear ‘father’s’ offer to Saddam,” MSNBC News online edition, 4 February 2004, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4163638.
        [12] “Khan’s illicit nuclear network said to span globe,” Planet ARK online edition, 10 February 2004, http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/
        23754/newsDate/10-Feb-2004/story.htm.
        [13] “Founder of Pakistan’s nuclear programme admits leaking secrets,” MCN International online edition, 2 February 2004, http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/
        afp_asiapacific/view/69131/1/.html.
        [14] Arnaud de Borchgrave, “Pakistan, Saudi Arabia in secret nuke pact,” The Washington Times online edition, 22 October 2003, http://www.washtimes.com/world/20031...2804-8451r.htm.
        [15] David R. Sands, “Israeli general says Saudis seek to buy Pakistani nukes,” The Washington Times online edition, 23 October 2003, http://www.washtimes.com/world/20031...3729-8359r.htm.
        [16] “Pakistan denies nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia,” Japan Economic Newswire, 21 October 2003; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, http://www.lexisnexis.com.
        I rant, therefore I am.

        Comment


        • #5
          Head of Arab League Pushes Nuke Programs
          http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060328/...ea/arab_summit

          KHARTOUM, Sudan - The head of the Arab League called on Arab states Tuesday to work toward “entering the nuclear club” by developing atomic energy — a new concern for a Western world already trying to rein in Iran’s nuclear ambitions and fretting about a possible Mideast arms race.

          Amr Moussa’s comments came as a surprise at a troubled Arab League summit meant to tackle crises ranging from Iraq to the Palestinian peace process. ...

          Moussa spoke to the gathered leaders at the opening of the summit, saying, “I would like to call on the Arab world to enter into the world of peaceful use of nuclear energy with all speed and momentum.”

          “This is a legal right ensured for all states that are party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty,” he said.
          I rant, therefore I am.

          Comment


          • #6
            God help the world!

            Pakistan made the Islamic bomb and now we shall have the Wahabi bomb!

            Could this be a fallout of the US Congressman wanting to nuke Mecca!


            "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

            I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

            HAKUNA MATATA

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Ray
              God help the world!

              Pakistan made the Islamic bomb and now we shall have the Wahabi bomb!

              Could this be a fallout of the US Congressman wanting to nuke Mecca!
              They want their peacemaker too!
              "So little pains do the vulgar take in the investigation of truth, accepting readily the first story that comes to hand." Thucydides 1.20.3

              Comment


              • #8
                Sir,

                Maybe the abandoned Central Command HQ bunker in Riyadh is now the research lab.

                It's a great thing that Congress killed the nuclear bunker buster program.
                "So little pains do the vulgar take in the investigation of truth, accepting readily the first story that comes to hand." Thucydides 1.20.3

                Comment


                • #9
                  Make an example out of Iran.That should deter the Saudis.
                  With those Rambho's ruling Tehran it must be easy.

                  Wait.They might stop oil.

                  Bad idea.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Samudra,

                    You've missed it. Shek is a now a Major.

                    I really don't think the KSA will get their hands on a nuke. They're damned lazy people. When I was there. I saw M9s rusting in the desert. Their entire AF is being maintained by BAe. Their oil is being pumped by American companies.

                    Even their entire Chinese made DF-2 battery is now being maintained by 50 Chinese rocket engineers.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Officer of Engineers
                      Samudra,

                      You've missed it. Shek is a now a Major.

                      I really don't think the KSA will get their hands on a nuke. They're damned lazy people. When I was there. I saw M9s rusting in the desert. Their entire AF is being maintained by BAe. Their oil is being pumped by American companies.

                      Even their entire Chinese made DF-2 battery is now being maintained by 50 Chinese rocket engineers.
                      Sir,
                      My promotion date isn't until Saturday. I'll get paid more for doing the same job :)
                      "So little pains do the vulgar take in the investigation of truth, accepting readily the first story that comes to hand." Thucydides 1.20.3

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by shek
                        My promotion date isn't until Saturday. I'll get paid more for doing the same job :)
                        That's what you think, Major-In-Waiting. That's what you think. I learned different 5 hours after my promotion. All I can tell you is that crap floats.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by shek
                          Sir,
                          My promotion date isn't until Saturday. I'll get paid more for doing the same job :)
                          Congrats! :)
                          I rant, therefore I am.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Officer of Engineers
                            Samudra,

                            You've missed it. Shek is a now a Major.
                            When was the news broken?
                            Either I've missed it all amidst forum restructuring and debates of the pious or I've been too lazy to go through all the threads.

                            Anyways, congratulations (Major-In-Waiting) Shek!

                            I really don't think the KSA will get their hands on a nuke. They're damned lazy people. When I was there. I saw M9s rusting in the desert. Their entire AF is being maintained by BAe. Their oil is being pumped by American companies.

                            Even their entire Chinese made DF-2 battery is now being maintained by 50 Chinese rocket engineers.
                            Thanks sir.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by srirangan
                              Congrats! :)
                              Thanks.
                              "So little pains do the vulgar take in the investigation of truth, accepting readily the first story that comes to hand." Thucydides 1.20.3

                              Comment

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