Monday, October 2, 2006

Rice seeks Saudi help to stabilize Iraq


By Arshad Mohammed
Reuters

"U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Monday she plans to ask Saudi Arabia to do more to help stabilize Iraq, encouraging it to influence Iraqi Sunnis to become more involved in the political process.

Speaking as she flew to the Middle East, Rice said she planned during her trip to talk to U.S. allies in the region about how they can assist the Iraqi and Lebanese governments as well as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Rice's trip to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian territories is her first journey to the region since a July visit at height of the war between Israel and Hizbollah militants in Lebanon.

"The countries that we are meeting ... is a group that you would expect to support the emerging moderate forces in Lebanon, in Iraq, and in the Palestinian territories," she added.

"I want the Saudis' involvement in the stabilization of Iraq. I want the Saudis' involvement in the stabilization of Lebanon through resources and political support," she said.

"Saudi Arabia has a lot of standing with a number of the forces in Iraq and they have actually been very helpful in trying to get Sunnis involved in the election," Rice said.

"So I think it would be very helpful if they were supportive of, and working toward, helping Prime Minister (Nuri) al-Maliki's national reconciliation plan," she added.

"They can rally people around the national reconciliation government. They have a lot of contacts among the tribes."

"They have already been helpful. I'd like them to continue to be helpful," she added."

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NOTICE THE IMPERIAL LANGUAGE SHE USES: "I want the Saudis' involvement..."
She is in the region as the commander-in-chief of the entire kennel of her puppets.

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