Saudi's Developing Nuclear Weapons

This is being completely overlooked...

From Koinonia House Online:

Amid the growing controversy over Iran's nuclear program, new information has emerged to suggest that Iran's bitter rival, Saudi Arabia, has also been developing nuclear weapons.

Saudi Arabia is believed to be building its clandestine nuclear program with the help of nuclear scientists from Pakistan. Earlier this week an Arabic news website published claims that Saudi Arabia has secretly constructed nuclear laboratories beneath several newly-built prisons. According to the magazine Israel Today, the website also "cited intelligence reports that indicated the Saudis are constructing a massive underground nuclear center and missile base south of the capital of Riyadh."

It has long been speculated that Saudi Arabia is developing a nuclear weapons program. In fact, evidence suggests that Saudi Arabia's quest for the bomb began as early as 1975. It has stayed under the radar primarily because of a scarcity of hard evidence, but also in large part because the United States' willingness to turn a blind eye to the problem. Saudi Arabia is an important strategic ally that the US cannot afford to alienate.

Perhaps some of the most compelling evidence for Saudi Arabia's nuclear activities was provided by a man named Muhammad Khilevi, a former UN official who defected from Saudi Arabia in 1994. After defecting he turned over more than 10,000 documents to the IAEA that were obtained from the Saudi Arabian Embassy. The documents show that between 1985 and 1990, the Saudi government paid up to 5 billion dollars to Saddam Hussein to build a nuclear weapon.

In the late 1980's Saudi Arabia purchased a stockpile of ballistic missiles with a 3,500 km range, capable of carrying nuclear, chemical and biological warheads. The Chinese CSS-2 missiles were deployed at the El-Solayil and Al-Jofar military bases. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, "missiles of such range are difficult to justify unless they carry nuclear weapons. They are too elaborate and expensive to make sense for anything else." While these missiles are now largely considered obsolete, they are still considered convincing evidence of Saudi Arabia's nuclear ambitions.

Experts believe that Saudi Arabia has also helped to fund Pakistan's nuclear program. The Saudis are believed to have exchanged both cash payments and free oil for nuclear technology. In fact, Saudi Arabia has provided Pakistan with an estimated 1.2 billion dollars worth of oil a year for the past ten years, virtually free of cost. In May 1999, the Saudi Defense Minister visited Pakistan's highly restricted uranium enrichment and missile assembly factory where he was reportedly briefed by A.Q. Khan - the father of Pakistan's nuclear program. High-level defense officials from the two countries have met repeatedly in recent years, fueling speculation about Saudi Arabia's nuclear activities.[snip]

Before September 11, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan were the only countries that recognized and aided Afghanistan's Taliban regime. In fact, Saudi Arabia still helps to fund some 15,000 religious schools in Pakistan. Students memorize the Koran and are indoctrinated with anti-American, anti-Israeli and anti-Indian propaganda. They are also encouraged to engage in jihad to defeat a "global conspiracy to destroy Islam". These schools supplied thousands of recruits for the Taliban militia in Afghanistan and are still being used to recruit militants to fight the US-led forces in the Middle East.

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I know they are supposed to be our ally, but they teach radical Islam, their people are starting to demand they break ties with us, they have a secret nuclear program and we are going to give them weapons technology? Possible Saudi Arms Sale Stirs Controversy - ABC News. this is worse than the cold war. atleast during the cold war we had two clear enemies, China and Russia. Now we have posibble enemies everywhere! N. Korea, China, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, terrorists, and many other possibilities in the Middle east and Africa.

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