US Eases Saudi Visa Restrictions--Arab News (post-ranch visit)

[Gloria]

From the new World Media Watch up NOW at http://www.zianet.com/insightanalytical
Tomorrow at Buzzflash.com


2//Arab News, Saudi Arabia Wednesday, 4, May, 2005 (25, Rabi` al-Awwal, 1426)
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=63157&d=4&m=5&y=2005



US EASES SAUDI VISA RESTRICTIONS

M. Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Arab News



RIYADH, 4 May 2005 — US Ambassador James C. Oberwetter says changes in the US visa process would ease travel between the States and Saudi Arabia.



The ambassador’s comments come in the wake of the Saudi-US Summit and before a high-profile, 63-member Saudi business mission leaves for the US next week.



“Last week’s visit by Crown Prince Abdullah to the United States has given a major boost to the bilateral relations,” said Oberwetter. “I am very satisfied with the outcome of the royal visit,” he said, referring to the joint communique issued after the talks held by Crown Prince Abdullah and the US President George W. Bush.



He also gave details of the Saudi commercial delegation scheduled to visit the United States from May 7-19. The delegates will hold business talks in several cities including Washington, New York, Atlanta, Chicago and Houston.



Oberwetter said once the new system was in place, it will ensure long-term stays for Saudi businessmen or tourists in the US with multiple-entry visas. “It will also reduce the time lag for processing visa applications and interviews,” he said, without detailing the proposed system.

MORE

[democracyindanger]

1. What. The. Fuck.

The majority of 9/11 hijackers were Saudi.

Jeebus, just kill me now.

[Miss Chybil]

2. Oh, no reason to scrutinize the Saudis...

they only killed a few thousand Americans. Let's go bomb some more Iraqis.

[Virginian]

3. Didn't Bush meet with the Saudis just weeks before 9/11.

Excuse my sudden MIHOP, but what is he planning for us next?

[LeighAnn]

17. US VISA EXPRESS

Look at this page from the US Embassy in Riyadh

http://web.archive.org/web/20010815210951/http://www.usembassy.state.gov/riyadh/wwwhvzxp.html

"No more long lines..."

Note the date: June 2001

:mad:

[proud patriot]

4. bush kisses saudi butt

and it disgusts me

[Tempest]

5. Feeling Safer Yet?

Fifteen of the nineteen 9/11 attackers were Saudis.

The largest foreign group attacking U.S. troops in Iraq are made up of Saudis according to the State Dept.

The State Dept. just released a report which said Saudis are still the largest contributors to the al-Qaeda organization.

[chookie]

6. Deja vu

Gloria -- you may be among those who might remember that this adminstration authorized such a relaxation for Saudis before -- in early 2001, before March, I believe. Cheney was behind it. The rationale was that this "harassment" of Saudi citizens was causing road bumps in a plan the adminstration was working on. The FBI was asked to leave Saudis alone.

I'd have to check my archives to be able to cite this reference from its original source, but maybe others remember it as well. And to the best of my recollection, this story appeared in early 2001 -- and of course it got forgotten, even after 15 Saudi citizens attacked our nation with horrific results.

[BattyDem]

7. Oh fuck ...

we're getting hit again! :scared:

On edit: I wish the Dems would make a big deal out of this, so if we do get hit again, the public will know who to blame!

[Gloria]

8. Yes, I remember that.......

eom

[burn the bush]

9. Did Homeland Security pay for the personal Saudi ass kissing?

now you know if bushco was really worried about foreign terrorist, he would not have done this. He is not worried about foreign terrorist. Everything he does is to contain us-his real worry.

[DemonFighterLives]

10. Here we go again

It was the easy Visas that brough us 9/11.
Why can't dubby kiss the saudis on his own time?

[AzDar]

11. Simply Un-fucking-believable...sorry for the language, guys..I just cannot

UNDERSTAND how this is allowed to happen; and without a WHIMPER from the corporate media...

[saskatoon]

46. the how and why of the whole thing boils down to one word and one word

REMEMBER---OIL, OIL, OIL OIL and of course the american crooks and you know who the top dogs are in that category.

[seasat]

12. Shrub Inc fast tracked Saudis before 9/11.

His change in the rules allowed some of the Saudi 9/11 terrorists in the country with minimum scrutiny. Suprisingly the neocon mag, National Review, broke the story. (LINK) It's definitely Deja Vu all over again.

[Gloria]

15. The Boston Globe story I quote below said

the attack was being planned and these people were coming in with no problem to train....(doesn't really say for how long they were actually coming in but they were casing Logan 6 months ahead of the attack)


Suicide hijackings more than 5 years in the making, sources report

Saudi connections might have eased entry to Florida flight schools

by Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy
The Boston Globe
September 14, 2001



Investigators have evidence that the planning of the suicide hijackings of American commercial airliners by Islamic extremists began at least five years ago and that the men who commandeered two Boston flights began casing Logan Airport at least six months ago, law enforcement sources say.

The FBI, they said, also has evidence suggesting that at least five of the 10 men who hijacked the Boston planes and plowed them into the World Trade Center exploited the good reputation of the United States' staunchest Arab ally, Saudi Arabia, to gain entry to the country and access to aeronautics training in Florida - training they used to kill thousands of Americans in the worst act of terrorism in U.S. history.

At least one of the Boston hijackers, Mohamed Atta, was able to enter the United States despite having been implicated in a 1986 bus bombing in Israel, said sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

In interviews with the Globe, flight instructors in Florida said that it was common for students with Saudi affiliations to enter the United States with only cursory background checks and sometimes none.

MORE

[DoYouEverWonder]

20. But this time

we're watching.

Before 9-11 we had no idea the depths of the evil that runs rampant through the Bush Misadministration.

They won't get away with their crap this time.

[Gloria]

13. Here's something on easy visas for flight school students......

http://www.fromthewilderness.com/timeline/2001/bostonglobe091401.html

Boston Globe
September 14, 2001

SNIP

In interviews Thursday, flight instructors said Saudis and other Arabs with the imprimatur of the Saudi national airline who seek permission to enter the United States to take flying lessons do not face the same degree of scrutiny from the State Department when seeking a visa as do Arabs from countries less friendly to Washington.

In fact, some flight schools, including some of those attended by the hijackers, have exemptions that allow the schools to unilaterally issue paperwork that students can present at U.S. embassies and consulates so they can obtain visas with only perfunctory background checks, flight instructors said.

Chuck Clapper, who owns Lantana Air, an air charter company in Lantana, Fla., said that several Florida flight schools have contracts with Saudi Arabian Airlines, and that some have exemptions that allow them to send students paperwork that are then virtually rubber-stamped by officials who issue visas.

Asked if Arabs who seek to enter the United States to obtain flying instruction need to satisfy the State Department of their suitability, Clapper said: "Saudis don't. Iranians do. Libyans do. But the Saudis are allies; so they don't."

A State Department spokesman declined to discuss the visas the hijackers obtained to attend flight schools in Florida, saying that it was confidential information and subject to a criminal investigation.

The spokesman did dispute claims that visas are rubber-stamped, saying that all foreign students are subjected to a background check.

MORE

[Gloria]

14. Al Jazeera report on the Bush-Saudi meeting agenda...including

more US corporations in Saudi industries....


http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A7A36858-4B74-4464-97A5-95401D9E8E63.htm

Monday 25 April 2005, 9:41 Makka Time, 6:41 GMT

The US and Saudi Arabia cooperate on anti-terrorism


President George Bush will meet Saudi Crown Prince Abd Allah at his Texas ranch to praise the kingdom's efforts to fight terrorism, and seek its help in countering the economic threat posed by record oil prices.

Abd Allah and other Saudi officials met Vice-President Dick Cheney in Dallas on the eve of the meeting with Bush, which is expected to produce statements about cooperation between the two countries.

SNIP

The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 angered Saudi Arabians, but US-Saudi ties strengthened after the kingdom took steps to capture or kill senior al-Qaida members within its borders.

"We need the Saudis and they need us, despite the poor image of the United States in Saudi Arabia and their poor image here," said David Mack, vice-president at the Middle East Institute.



SNIP

The Saudis are hoping for an agreement that would pave the way for the kingdom to join the World Trade Organisation. Officials have been working around the clock to see if the last sticking points can be ironed out so it can be announced at the Bush-Abd Allah meeting.

The United States wants barriers eased to allow more US corporate participation in the Saudi insurance, financial services and telecommunications markets.

MORE

[daleo]

16. Low Bush polls, easy entry and long term stays for Saudis...

These could be construed as bad omens.

[MaineDem]

18. Now this just totally blows my mind!!! (nt)

[mmonk]

19. .

:crazy:

[leesa]

21. I'm sure this will be A-OK with the Bush worshipers. And when the next

BushCo sponsored 9-11 occurs they will rally around their brave leader.

[DoYouEverWonder]

22. Part of this is not just to let more terrorists into the country

The King of Saudi is about to die and the upcoming battle between the Saudis ruling families could get ugly. I think Bush is just making sure his rich Saudi friends can come to the US with all their money. The US is a great place to go, if you have to live in exile.

[reality based]

23. But Americans will have to put up with more red tape

and stand in longer lines to get a driver's license all in the name of homeland security. "Under the legislation, Americans applying for driver’s licenses would have to bring far more information with them to motor vehicle offices. They would be asked to show birth certificates, a photo ID, proof of their Social Security number and a document with full name and home address, according to a copy of the bill obtained by The Associated Press. It was unclear how the legislation would affect the renewal of licenses for citizens." http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7720464/

[agincourt]

24. This does not suprise me,

Nor does it suprise me that the US news media will stay silent on this issue. It just proves in spades the contempt for American citizen's safety, that this administration has. Now I see how wives will protect pediophile husbands.

[Gloria]

25. Kick for the lunchtime crowd....

eom

[Moderator]

26. kick to combine

[Lori Price CLG]

27. US Eases Saudi Visa Restrictions

US Eases Saudi Visa Restrictions 04 May 2005 --US Ambassador James C. Oberwetter says changes in the US visa process would ease travel between the States and Saudi Arabia.
<snip>
(Yes, that way, Bush's freelancers, the Osama bin Laden team, can get back into the U.S. a lot easier. But, check out the new Florida drivers' licenses, folks!) New drivers' licenses become a high-tech ID 04 May 2005 -- --New Florida drivers' licenses, which roll out in Pinellas County this week and in the rest of the state by the end of the summer, have 17 layers of security to protect against identity theft and to aid law enforcement and national security. Some features can be detected only under ultraviolet light. Some require specialized security equipment.

Lori Price

[fryguy]

28. relaxing rules on Saudis . . . strenghtengin rules on Canada and Mexico

Well that makes sense . . . . :banghead:

[Lori Price CLG]

29. Yes, and wait until people try to vote in Florida w. the new drivers' ....

...licenses, with 17 layers of security!! ROFL!!

Lori Price

[Hobarticus]

30. How many Canadians and Mexicans took part in the 9/11 attacks?

Just curious.

[Lori Price CLG]

31. None. Just Bush and his freelancers, the Osama bin Laden team. n/t

[KittyWampus]

32. Didn't Most Of The Hijackers On 9/11 Come From Saudi Arabia?

Isn't this a gift to the Democratic Party for '06 elections?

[AlCzervik]

33. WTF? didn't like 16 of the hijackers get into the US

because of Bush's "Visa express" program?

[DrDebug]

34. Some Canada, Mexico and the EU will have higher restrictions

But the Saudis will get less restrictions, because they are our real friends.

[DrDebug]

35. Hmm. A new licence with secret data.

So what is on that secret data? That's a secret, right?

Will they inform the public what exactly is written there... or is it an open system designed for all kinds of uses...

[Lori Price CLG]

39. I wonder if I will be added to the 'no drive' list, LOL!

[DrDebug]

41. The secret data

The following fields are defined for the magnetic strip. But there's no information about what is stored on the "Secret Data" stuff.

Name
Address
Second Address
Date of Birth
Height
Weight
Sex
Eye Color
Hair Color
Social Security Number
Organ Donor Info
Medical Indicators
Alias Name, Address, Date of Birth or Social Security Number
Electronic Image of Your Signature
Your Electronic Photo Image (KY)
Digital Fingerprints (DC, GA, HI)
Facial Recognition Template (TN)

Cool. That means that a simple read can already tell a lot. I love that alias part.

[Robworld]

36. Bush administration knows where there bread is buttered

http://www.dumdumgoestothecircus.com/

[tabasco]

37. More proof that the corrupt Bush administration ...

doesn't give a shit about national security. They WANT neverending war and maybe some more terrorist attacks will help them get what they want.

[shadowknows69]

38. will they be throwing in free flying lessons?

with those easy to get visas?

My head hurts

[Lori Price CLG]

42. Yes, the same free lessons received by Jeb's anti-Castro terrorists.

[MN ChimpH8R]

40. Is this some kind of sick joke?

:wtf:

"This PSA has been brought to you by BushCo, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Saudi Royal Family!"

:puke::puke::puke::puke:
:banghead: :banghead:

[Gloria]

43. MODS--this is a DUPE from last night into this morning....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1443019&mesg_id=1443019

[Jacobin]

44. Well, look at it this way:

At least Bush* got a wet sloppy kiss from the prince and got to walk through the bluebonnets holding his hand.

At least we got SOMETHING for making it easier to allow terraists into the country.

[Sacajawea]

45. I. Am. Appalled.

:wtf:

[jazzjunkysue]

47. Didn't Babs teach her sons not to sleep around?