Special to WorldTribune.com Jordan can no longer take in Syrian refugees without international assistance, King Abdullah said. The country is at its “boiling point,” Abdullah told the BBC. He said that Jordan has spent 25 percent of its budget on the hundreds of thousands of refugees. “Sooner or later, I think, the dam is going […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Jordan, a leading Middle East ally of the United States, has signed a military cooperation deal with China. The accord was signed on Sept. 9 during King Abdullah’s visit to Beijing, officials said, adding that the deal includes Jordan’s purchase of unspecified Chinese equipment. “The meeting saw the signing of a military […]
Special to WorldTribune.com AMMAN — Jordan has reported bolstering security along its northern border with Syria. The government said authorities were focusing efforts on protecting the border with Syria from insurgency infiltration. Officials said the northern frontier was regarded as stable despite heavy fighting in southern Syria. At the same time, Jordan conducted a crackdown […]
Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — The Saudi royal family is said to have been engaged in regional bribery. A leading anonymous Saudi dissident, known only as Mujtahidd, asserted that senior Saudi officials as well as royal family members were receiving hundreds of millions of dollars from Gulf Cooperation Council states. Mujtahidd, deemed a pseudonym, identified […]
Special to WorldTribune.com CAIRO — Egypt has submitted a request for billions of dollars in additional aid from Saudi Arabia. Diplomatic sources said the regime of President Abdul Fatah Sisi discussed a plan for Egypt to help bolster security of Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies. They said Sisi, who met Saudi King Abdullah, sought […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ABU DHABI — Amid an upsurge in regional turmoil centering on Iraq and Syria, Saudi King Abdullah has again fired his de facto defense chief. On June 28, Abdullah issued a decree that dismissed Deputy Defense Minister Prince Bandar Bin Abdul Aziz. This marked the second time in as many months that […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ABU DHABI — The Saudi royal family is torn by increasing tension over the prospect of succession. Arab diplomatic sources said dissension within the family’s 6,000 princes has reached a fever pitch as King Abdullah, believed to be 96, prepares for an imminent succession. For the first time, the princes have expressed […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — Congress has been warned that Saudi Arabia and its regional allies were moving away from the United States. A House subcommittee heard testimony that the Gulf Cooperation Council found the United States unreliable amid its rapproachment with Iran. The House Middle East and Africa subcommittee also raised the prospect that […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON – Saudi Arabia’s display of its intermediate-range ballistic missile reflects the kingdom’s decision to operate independently of the United States, a report said. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy asserted that the Saudi military parade on April 29 marked a message to both Iran and the United States. Institute fellow […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ABU DHABI — The Saudi Arabian National Guard has contracted the West to develop a modern health care system. Executives said SANG was working with U.S. contractors to develop and administer hospitals and clinics. The executives said SANG, transformed into a full-fledged military, was using the United States as a model for […]