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Cara posted an update 8 years, 5 months ago
Been travelling and not posted for a while. This is an interesting view of the latest Saudi developments:
“There is another more positive scenario about the crackdown on saudi princes and the removal of an anti-Syrian PM in Lebanon.Saudi Arabia has publicly blamed Qatar for supporting Islamist terrorists. In return Qatar was about to make public a list of the Saudi princes and Saudi private companies and organizations that are secretly funding ISIS and other Islamist extremist. Trump has been very firm about stopping the funding of ISIS.
Having been informed about that list and using the pretext of corruption, MBS has stopped and eliminated these princes as well as taking control of their assets before Qatar’s publicized the names.As a result we may see a slowing down of Islamist extremists activities worldwide because their funding has be cut.
As for Hariri’s detention, Saudi Arabia is making a U-turn on Syria. It now want Bashar al Assad back in the Arab League it is ready to fund the reconstruction Syria provided that Bashar al Assad distanciate himself from Iran.
Therefore Saudi Arabia prefers a Sunni Syria man in Lebanon as a PM so it facilitates the new friendship with Syria. Hariri is not the man as he hates Syria having accused Bashar al assad of the murder of is father. He therefore must be replaced now by a lebanese sunni friend of Syria.With Bashar al Assad, MBS will put the blame of the destruction of Syria by the Islamist terrorists attacks in Syria on the “damned princes”. Now that ISIS and its supporters are eliminated then Syria and Saudi Arabia may be friend again and the shadow of Iran receding.
The question is: Will Bashar al Assad buy this sudden offer of sympathy from a country that has not stopped insulting him and threatening?
In politics all is possible…Posted by: Virgile | Nov 7, 2017 7:30:15 PM | 71”
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Now when we see that S. Arabia says or does this or that, we will have to wonder which of the 3 tribes if any is involved
http://www.atimes.com/article/inside-story-saudi-night-long-knives/
And this, from Nikkei Asia on the Aramco deal…
“TOKYO — Plans to list shares of Saudi Aramco, the world’s biggest oil producer, have taken a new twist in recent weeks with talks of selling shares directly to China or other inst itutional investors first — rather than going to the stock exchange — emerging as a potential option.
Adding to the uncertainty is the anti-corruption crackdown being carried out by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in which a number of influential princes and senior officials have been implicated, including an Aramco board member who has been arrested.
The Aramco IPO forms the centerpiece of Vision 2030, a blueprint for economic and social reforms meant to diversify and re-energize Saudi Arabia’s oil-dependent economy. The proceeds from the sale are to be used to foster domestic industry and create jobs.
The plan is to sell a combined total of around 5% of Aramco shares next year on the Saudi Stock Exchange, or Tadawul, and an overseas bourse.
Prince Mohammed expressed his enthusiasm to sell Aramco shares early last year, and has stated that the company should be valued at $2 trillion or more, putting a price tag of $100 billion on a 5% stake. That would entail the largest IPO in history, dwarfing the previous record of $25 billion raised by China’s Alibaba Group Holding.
The stock exchanges of New York and London, which could offer the two biggest pools of capital, have been lobbying to host the listing, along with Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong — the latter would present the least amount of regulatory hurdles.
U.S. President Donald Trump has strongly advocated a U.S. listing. “I just spoke to the king a little while ago, and they will consider it,” he told reporters on Nov. 5…..”
More here: https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Deals/Saudi-purge-brings-China-card-in-play-in-Aramco-deal