Saudis Offer Russia Secret Oil Deal If It Drops Syria (with full US backing)

[big_dog]

Source: UK Telegraph

Saudi Arabia has secretly offered Russia a sweeping deal to control the global oil market and safeguard Russia's gas contracts if the Kremiln backs away from the Assad regieme in Syria

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/10266957/Saudis-offer-Russia-secret-oil-deal-if-it-drops-Syria.html

[Arctic Dave]

1. Bullshit.

That is not the way the global oil and gas markets work.

[big_dog]

3. Prince Bandar wants to share some of the booty to avoid a huge regional conflagration...

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2013/08/saudi-russia-putin-bandar-meeting-syria-egypt.html#ixzz2d5UVLSNv

[Arctic Dave]

6. Saudi has nothing left to give in the field of oil production that could entice Russia.

They are simply propping up their diminishing fields with price fixing.

Russia has no reason to play ball with them now. As soon as they boot the jihadist they have all but locked in Syria as a client state.

[big_dog]

7. from the tone of the article it sounds like Bandar wants to 'invest' in Russian oil infrstructure

probably the only way Putin will go for it, a mega pipleline to make them all rich

[Arctic Dave]

8. From where to what? And sell the oil to who?

Saudi Arabia doesn't do there own work. They contract it out.

Russia does the same.

Russia could get a better deal from China, who would most likely be the purchaser, and they are next door.

[Catherina]

10. Russia turned down their warmongering offer

Saudi Arabia, our little 9-11 war partner, isn't done rearranging the Middle East to its liking.

[big_dog]

12. or India perhaps?

more than likely it still has to go through Afghanistan

[Arctic Dave]

14. India?

Try again.

There is a little mountain range there that they would have to cross over. The Himalayan Mountains say that ain't ever going to happen.

[unblock]

2. shh! it's a secret!

[Iliyah]

4. Don't believe this at all. . .

there are so much crap out there and this is one of them . .

[Supersedeas]

18. these are times for skepticism

[Agnosticsherbet]

5. Any capitalists should be screaming to the heavens against this deal. n/t

[Catherina]

9. That was Bushbot Prince Bandar's offer. Russia laughed in their face and said no.

I don't know why the Telegraph is so late with its reporting. RT reported this on August 07 ( [link: http://rt.com/news/bandar-putin-assad-saudi-188/|Saudi Arabia dangles lucrative arms deal in front of Russia in exchange for dropping Assad]) but I'm glad they did.

Our little neocon friend Prince Bandar told Putin he was making that offer the full backing of the US since the US hadn't been able to get Russia to budge at the Security Council.

From AFP: Moscow rejects Saudi offer to drop Assad for arms deal

"Every two years, Bandar bin Sultan meets his Russian counterparts, but this time, he wanted to meet the head of state," said a European diplomat who shuttles between Beirut and Damascus.

"During the meeting at the Kremlin, the Saudi official explained to his interlocutor that Riyadh is ready to help Moscow play a bigger role in the Middle East at a time when the United States is disengaging from the region".

This is where it gets funny

The Saudi prince also reassured Putin that "whatever regime comes after" Assad, it will be "completely" in the Saudis' hands and will not sign any agreement allowing any Gulf country to transport its gas across Syria to Europe and compete with Russian gas exports, the diplomat said.

This is where it gets obscene

In 2009, Assad refused to sign an agreement with Qatar for an overland pipeline running from the Gulf to Europe via Syria to protect the interests of its Russian ally, which is Europe's top supplied of natural gas.

An Arab diplomat with contacts in Moscow said: "President Putin listened politely to his interlocutor and let him know that his country would not change its strategy."

"Bandar bin Sultan then let the Russians know that the only option left in Syria was military and that they should forget about Geneva because the opposition would not attend."

This is where it gets obscene:

Bandar told Putin, “There are many common values ​​and goals that bring us together, most notably the fight against terrorism and extremism all over the world. Russia, the US, the EU and the Saudis agree on promoting and consolidating international peace and security. The terrorist threat is growing in light of the phenomena spawned by the Arab Spring. We have lost some regimes. And what we got in return were terrorist experiences, as evidenced by the experience of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the extremist groups in Libya. ... As an example, I can give you a guarantee to protect the Winter Olympics in the city of Sochi on the Black Sea next year. The Chechen groups that threaten the security of the games are controlled by us, and they will not move in the Syrian territory’s direction without coordinating with us. These groups do not scare us. We use them in the face of the Syrian regime but they will have no role or influence in Syria’s political future.”

Putin thanked King Abdullah for his greetings and Bandar for his exposition, but then he said to Bandar, “We know that you have supported the Chechen terrorist groups for a decade. And that support, which you have frankly talked about just now, is completely incompatible with the common objectives of fighting global terrorism that you mentioned. We are interested in developing friendly relations according to clear and strong principles.”

Bandar said that the matter is not limited to the kingdom and that some countries have overstepped the roles drawn for them, such as Qatar and Turkey. He added, “We said so directly to the Qataris and to the Turks. We rejected their unlimited support to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and elsewhere. The Turks’ role today has become similar to Pakistan’s role in the Afghan war. We do not favor extremist religious regimes, and we wish to establish moderate regimes in the region. It is worthwhile to pay attention to and to follow up on Egypt’s experience. We will continue to support the [Egyptian] army, and we will support Defense Minister Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi because he is keen on having good relations with us and with you. And we suggest to you to be in contact with him, to support him and to give all the conditions for the success of this experiment. We are ready to hold arms deals with you in exchange for supporting these regimes, especially Egypt.”

...

Putin: Our stance on Assad will not change

Regarding the Syrian issue, the Russian president responded to Bandar, saying, “Our stance on Assad will never change. We believe that the Syrian regime is the best speaker on behalf of the Syrian people, and not those liver eaters. During the Geneva I Conference, we agreed with the Americans on a package of understandings, and they agreed that the Syrian regime will be part of any settlement. Later on, they decided to renege on Geneva I. In all meetings of Russian and American experts, we reiterated our position.

....

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2013/08/saudi-russia-putin-bandar-meeting-syria-egypt.html

The Russian articles have even more details but that's the basic gist of that massive obscenity.

[red dog 1]

15. Thanks for the links

Putin to Bandar:
"Our stance on Assad will never change. We believe that the Syrian regime is the best speaker on behalf of the Syrian people, and not those liver eaters."

[yurbud]

19. this gets to the heart of things and needs to be more widely read

[Catherina]

20. Thanks

And about those people Putin disdainfully calls "liver eaters", here: Syrian Rebel Leader Abu Sakkar Filmed Cutting Out And 'Eating' Soldier's Heart. I got ill just watching a few weeks ago.

[WilliamPitt]

11. BE SURE TO KEEP QUIET ABOUT OUR SECRET PLAN.

[Iliyah]

13. Uh huh, just like Russia's

big surprise about a certain "whistle-blower" . . who stayed at their Embassy via China.

Governments through paid media can basically spout anything and pros and cons will believe it or not.

[DeSwiss]

16. If Putie and Bandar weren't seen kissing and holding hands after, then no dice.

- K&R

[KamaAina]

17. The author is a RW conspiracy nut

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrose_Evans-Pritchard

He is the author of The Secret Life of Bill Clinton: The Unreported Stories (1997) which was published by conservative publishing firm Regnery Publishing. In this book, he elaborates on assertions that the Oklahoma City bombing was an FBI sting operation that went horribly wrong, that ATF agents were warned against reporting to work in the Murrah Building the morning of the attack, and that the Justice Department subsequently engaged in a cover-up.

There are better sources out there than the Torygraph anyway.