ABU DHABI Ñ Qatar and the United States have launched efforts to
boost military cooperation as the U.S. Defense Department made it clear that Saudi
Arabia is not an ally in the U.S.-war against terrorism.
Pentagon officials said the department has not included Saudi Arabia as
an ally against terrorism in both publicly-released documents as well as in
ceremonies.
However, U.S. officials said Riyad has taken steps to stop the
financing of Islamic insurgency groups. U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill
said Riyad and Washington are cooperating in blocking the assets of branches
of the Saudi-based Al Haramain Islamic Foundation in Somalia and
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The U.S.-Qatar talks seek to increase U.S.
defense and military ties with Doha, which regards France as its chief ally.
On Monday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld welcomed military
representatives of what the Pentagon termed the countries in the worldwide
coalition against terrorism. Rumsfeld invited reporters and had his
photograph taken with the foreign envoys to mark six months since
the suicide attacks on New York and Washington on Sept. 11.
"The important thing to remember is, from day one, the task was to deal
with the terrorists, but also to deal with the nations that harbor
terrorists," Rumsfeld said.
Saudi Arabia was not included in the meeting. In all, envoys
from 27 countries attended.
The countries included such Middle East allies as Egypt, Greece, Jordan,
Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Israel, which has been
identified as a U.S. ally in other forums, was also not invited. Officials
cited Arab sensitivity.
Over the weekend, a U.S. military delegation held talks with Qatari
defense officials and military commanders. The delegation was led by Gen.
Paul Mikolashek of U.S. Central Command, which covers the Gulf and much of
the Middle East.
Mikolashek met Qatari Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Hamad Bin Ali Attiyah in
a session that the official Qatari news agency said was devoted to plans to
boost military cooperation. The meeting was attended by leading Qatari
commanders.
Qatar has been one of several Gulf Cooperation Council states being
approached to accept additional U.S. military assets. The other countries
that Washington has approached are Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab
Emirates.
Gulf defense sources said the Pentagon seeks to move U.S. troops and
aircraft from Saudi Arabia in wake of the kingdom's refusal to allow use of
the Prince Sultan Air Base for the war in Afghanistan.
On Monday, the Netherlands and Qatar signed a military cooperation
accord. The accord, details of which were not disclosed was signed by Al
Attiyah and Holland's ambassador to Qatar, Hank Revis.
[In the Saudi city of Mecca, at least 18 students were killed in an
explosion at a high school on Monday. Saudi authorities said the explosion
stemmed from a short-circuit. One person was killed in the explosion and the
rest in a stampede by hundreds of students and teachers who tried to escape
the building.]
In his address, President George Bush mentioned several countries as
contributing to the war in terrorism. Bush referred to Jordan and Turkey in
reference to Middle East nations that have helped Washington in Afghanistan.
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia was not included in a Pentagon list of
U.S. allies in the war against terrorism. Riyad has refused to allow the
United States use of the Prince Sultan Air Base in the war in Afghanistan.
On Monday, the New York Times reported that U.S. Central Command has
drafted a plan to move forces out of Saudi Arabia. U.S. military officials
said this would result in the relocation of a command post from Prince
Sultan to another Gulf Cooperation Council state. The newspaper said the
leading candidate is Qatar, whose Al Udeid Air Base contains vast hangars
and 15,000-foot runways.