(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - We Has interviewed Zayd al-Isa, a Middle East expert in London, to learn about his thoughts on the issue.
What follows is a rough transcript of the interview, which was also supported by three other guests.
Q: One MP said Saudi Arabia is not just supporting some terrorists but is organizing the whole of al-Qaeda. What do you think?
Al-Isa: Well, I think this position should have been taken ages ago since 2003, since there is ample evidence, and incontrovertible evidence according to the Iraqi government itself, which has been documented pointing the finger at Saudi Arabia, fomenting, instigating, and supporting terrorist groups inside Iraq.
So, this should have been the priority for the Iraqi government since 2003, particularly, that there is also evidence from the Americans themselves who are the stauncher and strongest allies to Saudi Arabia. This has been revealed in the WikiLeaks by Hillary Clinton herself, when she pointed out that the main and major source of funding for terrorist groups, for Wahhabi and Salafi terrorist groups throughout the world, is Saudi Arabia, and she accused them of being a critical financial support base for specifically al-Qaeda, Taliban, and LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba).
She also pointed out that she has failed miserably, and complained of her inability to convince the Saudi regime that terrorist funding is her strategy priority. This also follows the Christopher [Robert] Hills, which was the US ambassador, also in the WikiLeaks revealing that according to the Iraqi senior leadership, the most significant threat according to the Iraqi political democracy is Saudi Arabia, which he called it an existential threat which aims to overthrow the entire political experiment in Iraq, and derail the democracy in Iraq. That comes hot on the heels.
Q: Let's focus on the Saudi and US role in Iraq right now. Would you say that right now, escalating violence in Iraq is something that the United Sates could benefit from because it is involved in negotiations to extend its presence in Iraq, and something that Saudi Arabia can benefit from, making the two sides agreeing in something that would interest both of them?
Al-Isa: I do agree that there has been a major change of heart in the USA about staying in Iraq, particularly after the momentous changing, which has taken place in the Middle East particularly in losing Egypt, one of the staunchest allies of Saudi Arabia.
Obama has all along said that he wants to honor his pledge of action by withdrawing his forces out of Iraq. But let's not forget that Saudi Arabia has been actually, fiercely and vehemently, opposed to any withdrawal from Iraq, because it would indicate a massive victory to the political system and democracy in Iraq, and it wants to prove that the Iraqi political system is wholly and totally dependent on the presence of the American forces there, and it wants to convince its people that democracy would only lead to bloodshed, mayhem, and chaos.
When the first guest talks about America actually benefiting from Iran and Saudi Arabia squabbling in the region, let's not forget that Saudi Arabia actually invaded Bahrain, it wants to stare up the sectarian violence and the sectarian strife in the region, and actually put it at bay and to stop it in its tracks of any move towards political reform and also democratic changes.
It was well before the WikiLeaks that actually Stewart Levy, the Undersecretary for tracing funding to terrorists, said “if I could somehow snap my fingers, and point to one country, which is actually playing a major role in funding the terrorist in al-Qaeda and the Taliban, it would be Saudi Arabia.” Let's also not forget the instrumental role played by the religious institutions in Saudi Arabia in actually encouraging the issuing of fatwas, which gives religious legitimacy or religious incentive and also religious justification to suicide bombers.
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