(Weekly Standard) Stephen Schwartz - Saudi Arabia's long-serving ambassador to the U.S., Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz, is leaving, to be replaced by Prince Turki al Faisal. Turki recently served as Saudi ambassador in London, but before that was the kingdom's intelligence chief until August 2001. He has never denied his association with Osama bin Laden in the 1980s. Bandar is the son of defense minister Prince Sultan, who has made millions doing business with the U.S., and whose adherence to Wahhabism, the extremist Saudi brand of Islam, is said to be nominal. However, Bandar's uncle, Prince Nayef, the Saudi interior minister, is the most extreme Wahhabi at the top of the heap and is considered the Darth Vader of global Islam.
2005-07-21 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive