'Saudis enemy of US' claim analysts

Saudi Arabia is an enemy of the US and should be warned to halt its "support" for terrorism or face seizure of its oil fields, analysts told the Pentagon.

The Middle Eastern country is "the kernel of evil, the prime mover, the most dangerous opponent" of America in the region, senior defence officials heard in a briefing.

"The Saudis are active at every level of the terror chain, from planners to financiers, from cadre to foot-soldier, from ideologist to cheerleader," Laurent Murawiec, a former adviser the French Ministry of Defence, told the Pentagon’s Defence Policy Board.

The briefing, reported the Washington Post, challenged the official US policy towards Saudi Arabia, which is currently regarded as a major ally of America in the war against terrorism.

But Mr Murawiec’s views are believed to carry increasing influence in the Bush administration, especially among the staff of Vice President Dick Cheney and in the Pentagon’s civilian leadership.

"The drums are beginning to beat on Saudi Arabia," Robert Oakley, a former American ambassador to Pakistan who consults frequently with the US military, told the Post.

Mr Murawiec, who now analyses international security affairs for the Rand Corporation think tank, said the US should demand that Saudi Arabia stop funding radical Islamic movements around the world.

It should also prosecute people involved in the terror chain, including those in the Saudi intelligence services, he said. If it refused, Saudi oil fields and overseas financial assets should be "targeted".

The only person at the briefing to criticise the anti-Saudi stance was former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger.

Other members of the board included former vice-president Dan Quayle, former defence secretaries James Schlesinger and Harold Brown, former House speakers Newt Gingrich and Thomas Foley, and several retired senior military officers.

A Pentagon spokeswoman said the presentation did not reflect the official view of the US Department of Defence.

"Saudi Arabia is a long-standing friend and ally of the United States," she told the Post.

"The Saudis cooperate fully in the global war on terrorism and have the Department’s and the Administration’s deep appreciation."