Official: Saudi Arabia Close to Deal on WTO Entry

[cyberpj]

Official: Saudi Arabia Close to Deal on WTO Entry
Reuters

Apr 25, 2005 — CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is "very close" to reaching an agreement with the United States on the kingdom's entry into the World Trade Organization, a senior Saudi official said on Monday.

Adel al-Jubeir, a Saudi foreign affairs adviser, told reporters that there were only a few technical matters that still needed to be worked out and he expected they would be resolved soon. Al-Jubeir was part of the Saudi delegation in Texas for Crown Prince Abdullah's visit to President Bush's ranch.



http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=701185

[Roland99]

1. So, a country that harbors terrorists and beheads women gets WTO entry?

Makes sense to me.





In Bizarro World!!!

[htuttle]

2. So THAT is what the meeting at the ranch was really about

And you all thought they were going to talk about gas prices...

[cyberpj]

3. Yeah, THAT -- and how they'll spend all their oil money now (photo)

[Frederik]

8. Shiny happy people holding hands

[Career Prole]

7. Yup! Quid Pro

Quaker State. ka-ching!

Monday AM...Bush Urges Saudis to Boost Oil Production

Monday PM...Official: Saudi Arabia Close to Deal on WTO Entry

They don't respect our intelligence any more than they did that of the CIA.

[ClintonTyree]

4. Why isn't Saudi Arabia in the "axis of evil".....

instead of the WTO? They finance terrorist organizations, harbor terrorists, have no civil rights policies to speak of...and they're deemed to be worthy of favored trade policies? :wtf:

OHHH, that's right, I forgot. If we don't kiss their asses they turn off the oil spigot or start trading in Euros.

They're holding the World hostage and they're getting away with it. I think bush should wait a little longer before starting to explore renewable energy. We haven't sold our souls quite enough to these bandits. :grr:

[Orsino]

6. Well, they are being invaded...

...by the WTO.

[leveymg]

5. I wonder if Abdullah is renewing his offer to sell off the oil fields?

That scarcely-reported offer was extended to the US-based multinationals in 1998 as part of a WTO entry deal, but was blocked by some of Abdullah's brothers. Then 9/11 happened -not an unrelated event, one should think.

The world price of oil was $19 a barrel at that time. In retrospect, that $1.9 trillion deal would have been a bargain. One which might have complemented the takover of the Caspian Sea oil fields, a nearly bloodless deal the Clinton Administration pulled off.

But, BushCo grabbed the 2000 election, and the rest is history. Looks like we've spent damn close to that fighting an enemy that need not have ever existed, if Exxon-Mobil, Chevron-Texaco, et al. hadn't decided after Shrub came in that they were going to end up owning the oil wells outright, no matter what the sheikhs decided.

Until the US was denied victory in the Iraq war, it seemed just like a matter of time until UBL and the US Marines chased the 8,000 Saudi sheikhs into gilded exile. Well, that was a hell of a miscalculation, and we're stuck paying the pricetag for all the stuff that got broken trying.

No wonder Abdullah looks so happy, and Shrub like he's enjoying the experience of kissing the Crown Prince's face, hands and slippers.


:bounce:

[madrchsod]

9. world trade ?

the only thing they "produce" is oil and terrorists.