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What Osama Wants, Osama Gets
BUZZFLASH
READER COMMENTARY
by Dave
Collins
Dear Buzz:
On Oct 7 2001, shortly after the US launched its first strikes against Afghanistan, Al Jazeera TV broadcast a video of Osama bin Laden. In that video, bin-Laden stated the two main goals of his terrorist campaign against the US:
a) Withdrawal of troops from "the Peninsula of Mohammed" (Saudi Arabia)
b) A sovereign and secure Palestine
"I swear by Almighty God who raised the skies without a pillar that America and those who live in America will not dream of security before we live it as a reality in Palestine and before all the infidel armies leave the land of Mohammed, praise and peace be upon him."
This was not the first time the al-Qaeda leader made these demands. You can read a full translated transcript of the video in the following linked article entitled "Bin Laden's demands: peace in Palestine and foreign troops out of the Gulf"
http://www.megastories.com/attack/binladen/video011007.shtml
In the last days of February 2003, as Bush was preparing to invade Iraq, he struck a deal with Saudi Arabia, home of bin- Laden and 15 of the 9/11 terrorists. He promised if Saudi Arabia did not oppose the US invasion, and allowed the use of its airfields, the US would withdraw from "the Peninsula of Mohammed" as soon as the war ended. This deal was not widely reported by the US media. Here is an article from the UK (from before the war) which is entitled "Bush and Saudis trade air bases for withdrawal"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/02/27/wirq327.xml
Sure enough, just weeks after Bush declared the end of his war, he announced the withdrawal of US troops from Saudi Arabia. Shortly thereafter, he announced the "Roadmap for Peace" in Palestine, after completely ignoring the festering violence in the middle-east for the first two years of his residency. In what appears to be a reversal of policy, he is even suddenly pushing for the creation of a "contiguous" Palestinian state (he actually used the word "continuous," but that is an easy mistake, just like when he confuses "modern" and "moderate"). This move has infuriated his Christian extremist backers, who believe that Israeli occupation of the Palestinian lands fulfills some kind of biblical prophesy. However, Bush's newly found support for a sovereign and secure Palestine does fit right in with Osama's demands.
Personally, I believe these changes in policy are the right thing to do. What makes me suspicious is that Bush has never been one to do the right thing, especially where foreign policy is concerned. Not only has OBL (like Saddam) not been captured "dead or alive," but now it appears that Bush may be giving in to his demands. At the very least, Bush is reinforcing al-Qaeda's bad behavior. I wonder what kind of deals were really made, and with whom. In the words of Alice, it gets "curiouser and curiouser".
http://www.ruthannzaroff.com/wonderland/curiouser.htm
Dave Collins
BUZZFLASH READER COMMENTARY
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