Saudis Developing Nuclear Weapons with help from Pakistan

[aussie-pak]

Saudis Developing Nuclear Weapons 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. In October of 2003, the Washington Times cited a senior intelligence officer in the Israeli defense forces, alleging that the Saudis had gone to Islamabad with the intention of buying Pakistani warheads to be placed on Saudi land-based missiles. Intelligence sources also indicate that between October 2004 and January 2005, under cover of the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca), several Pakistani scientists slipped into Saudi Arabia to meet with Saudi scientists and defense officials. In June of 2005 Saudi Arabia signed on to the IAEA Small Quantities Protocol. The agreement prevents the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency from monitoring Saudi Arabia's nuclear program. It is perhaps best described as a loophole in outdated IAEA regulations: countries with small quantities of uranium can sign an agreement exempting them from investigation. Born of more trusting days, the protocol frees countries from reporting the possession of up to 10 tons of natural uranium - or up to 20 tons of depleted uranium, depending on the degree of enrichment - and 2.2 pounds of plutonium. However experts say 10 tons of natural uranium can be processed into the material for up to two nuclear warheads. The agreement also allows them to keep silent about work on nuclear facilities secret until six months before they are ready for operation. Saudi Arabia is technically our ally, but US-Saudi relations have been under constant strain since the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Many Saudis would like to see their country end its cooperation with the US. A Saudi survey taken shortly after the September 11 attacks reported that 95 percent of educated Saudi men between the ages of 25 and 41 backed bin Laden's cause. Furthermore, of the 19 hijackers, 15 were Saudi citizens. Many al-Qaeda fighters are from Saudi Arabia, as is Osama bin Laden himself. 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. Related Links:

what i dont understand is why would saudia arabia require nuclear weapons? who are they going to fight!??????

[Mercenary]

What I dont understand is why we should help them when they are sending radical wahabbi clerics into Pakistan to sow discord and use our own kids to cause death and destruction on our own streets.

[darkmoon459]

Originally Posted by Mercenary What I dont understand is why we should help them when they are sending radical wahabbi clerics into Pakistan to sow discord and use our own kids to cause death and destruction on our own streets.

Money Money Money.............is the only and the main reason.Neither Pakistani nor saudi govt give a damn about the safety and security of their people.

[waqar_ahmad]

Originally Posted by Mercenary What I dont understand is why we should help them when they are sending radical wahabbi clerics into Pakistan to sow discord and use our own kids to cause death and destruction on our own streets.

Saudi Arabia is a friendly muslim country, and we should help them acquire nukes. They have always helped pakistan, with money, oil and diplomatic issues as well. yes, money is involved, and pakistan benefits from this co-operation as well.

[Mercenary]

Originally Posted by waqar_ahmad Saudi Arabia is a friendly muslim country, and we should help them acquire nukes. They have always helped pakistan, with money, oil and diplomatic issues as well. yes, money is involved, and pakistan benefits from this co-operation as well.

It's the intolerant and fanatical saudi brand of wahabbisim which is destroying our country today.

Saudi could never pay us enough to compensate for that, besides any money we get only makes politicians richer. It doesnt do much for the general population

[aussie-pak]

Originally Posted by Mercenary It's the intolerant and fanatical saudi brand of wahabbisim which is destroying our country today. Saudi could never pay us enough to compensate for that, besides any money we get only makes politicians richer. It doesnt do much for the general population

good point, but man its still saudia arabia, holy country of islam.

i still want them to get nukes but who are they going to fighT!

[Hash]

Originally Posted by Mercenary It's the intolerant and fanatical saudi brand of wahabbisim which is destroying our country today. Saudi could never pay us enough to compensate for that, besides any money we get only makes politicians richer. It doesnt do much for the general population

True that.

And why are our 'democracy lovers' here on pakpassion in favour of such a brutal and fascistic dictatorship in Saudi?

[Boys_played_well]

Saudi Arabia is the scum of the Earth. I am disgusted that we have any sort of relationship with those idiots.

[aussie-pak]

ok can some1 please explain to my why all this hate towards saudia arabia? im confused. its a pure islamic nation. their constitution is the quran. wat is wrong with that?

[waqar_ahmad]

Originally Posted by Hash True that. And why are our 'democracy lovers' here on pakpassion in favour of such a brutal and fascistic dictatorship in Saudi?

democracy is the best thing, and i agree that there should be democracy in SA. But if there isnt, that doesnt mean we cut our ties with them, especially since they help pakistan a lot.

foreign relations are not based on what type of govt the country has, it is based on how important that country is to you, and how they treat you.

[waqar_ahmad]

Originally Posted by Mercenary It's the intolerant and fanatical saudi brand of wahabbisim which is destroying our country today. Saudi could never pay us enough to compensate for that, besides any money we get only makes politicians richer. It doesnt do much for the general population

all they can do is give us financial help, which they do. if our leaders are misusing the finances, it is not SA's fault. SO that doesnt hold as an argument against pak Saudi relations.

Now about extremism, well we have mullahs teaching that in pakistan. SA doesnt force pak to let their mullahs enter pak just to spread hatred.There are good and bad religious seminaries all over the muslim world.

[Mercenary]

Originally Posted by waqar_ahmad all they can do is give us financial help, which they do. if our leaders are misusing the finances, it is not SA's fault. SO that doesnt hold as an argument against pak Saudi relations.

They know where the money goes and it suits their agenda. If the money went towards educating the general population then Saudi funded Madrassahs would die out. If the money doesnt reach the poor then it suits their interest.

Originally Posted by waqar_ahmad Now about extremism, well we have mullahs teaching that in pakistan. SA doesnt force pak to let their mullahs enter pak just to spread hatred.There are good and bad religious seminaries all over the muslim world.

Saudi's money ensures that madrassahs teaching hate are popping up all over the country and churning out anti-Pakistan extremists who are already destabilising our nation.

Just because they are from the 'Holy Land' it doesnt mean we must blindly worship them and agree that they can do no wrong.

[Mutazalzaluzzaman Tarar]

first of all, they're better off trying to educate their ignorant, most racist, jahil awam before they do any defence work. however, if they absolutely must, then shouldn't they try to build a conventional army and maybe give them real guns instead of toy ones before they try to get nukes? that way they won't have to rent an army like they have had to throughout their embarrassing history.

either way, so lets assume they got a little nuke. so, now if for some ridiculous reason they have to use it, which western foreigner are they going to hire to operate the button? 'cause they sure as hell don't have the brain capacity to operate the button correctly.

[Mutazalzaluzzaman Tarar]

Originally Posted by Boys_played_well Saudi Arabia is the scum of the Earth. I am disgusted that we have any sort of relationship with those idiots.

my sentiments exactly.

[HAL]

Hard to comment on anything which doesn't even a source, so at least one can gauge the reliability of information.

[Zechariah]

Things are rosy ever since King Abdullah has been in power. king Fahad was a menace to this world. King Abdullah has paved a way for a free media, allowing women to drive and stripping religious police of thier powers and opening up 8 universities.

This nuclear thing has been happening over the years and US always fears that Saudis might get nuclear weapons and no doubt they will as Pakistan and Saudi are very very close. US is stuck in the middle. The Saudi Royal family is the real daddy of the Bush family, and they can and will never object to Saudi policy, Cheney and Bush are front runners in defending Saudi Arabia, indeed who funds thier oil business anyway?

[Invictus]

You cant just develop and maintain nukes. You need to have some capability. SA doesnt even have anything even remotely resembling a capable army.

[161]

Originally Posted by Invictus You cant just develop and maintain nukes. You need to have some capability. SA doesnt even have anything even remotely resembling a capable army.

they pay america for one..

[Islamabadi]

Originally Posted by aussie-pak good point, but man its still saudia arabia, holy country of islam. i still want them to get nukes but who are they going to fighT!

u don't need to have anyone to fight with to have nukes....the best way to keep yourself out of fighting is to have nukes.