mick silver
5th December 2015, 04:42 AM
21 hours ago
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The BND report focused on the role of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (second left) who holds the defence portfolio and other powerful posts (AFP Photo/Fayez Nureldine)
Berlin (AFP) - The German government on Friday rejected the findings of a damning report on Saudi Arabia by its own spy agency and called Riyadh a key partner in regional conflict resolution.
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German spy agency warns of Saudi shift to 'impulsive' policies (https://news.yahoo.com/german-spy-agency-warns-saudi-shift-impulsive-policies-150428080--business.html) Reuters
Syrian opposition to seek unified stance in Saudi (https://news.yahoo.com/syria-opposition-meet-next-week-riyadh-112256131.html) AFP
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The Andy Griffith Show: Life After Mayberry (https://beap.gemini.yahoo.com/mbclk?bv=1.0.0&es=rfqa648GIS_5.ZhTfm6vxSIHxIsYzRakqT5ws7mRdWFTF32 mp3YoQY.8tm7YQpBXMIJSh27GlKMGmyv.kN0l6Ao.SbP52ZeoN .FIbCpfSQTYs.HmQOhQnZ0MEPcD1UgsCKIXv9R1W519wYh0Fe6 EmQFONCZ7DM3zvyy7hfmzry0jOOWQvstIzS8XNRT7H5lp_cm9l kKl.eMa9b9nOaaR.YlQHdPEfNujfaFOr9iyUJDcUX8FwO26mWL UGi.D6O5xAhSnXI9891B8qUQc_dJV.88uzzrqb6_0VZzDY5mXj UO43NQsDRA1ZU5AVZgvrceVLdg.w2FhrKY9Hlxl98tPzmSwxpF 0cV3WS06NlrCZRj1KBEBdR.6aVURh04e6xbYYCZwgyYEPo2okr c1jB3HbE1szJZA5R9kgQ0tRqm8encc8mlQMOPNhk5Ouhq2doSN ExcaoKmNwJYAxQgmZuudQ5VNLlWrXlQAHiiVPQ0V8M0kXuhxKE yyva8wKcJTcThlbrg9BqRPOTF6q1rjeyBf7W07J7CIjYS8JEz6 QREKnV3Rn.YVjtaQA91r80wy_sSC1eDFe1jG8xu6qH_OYIfSIL H8__w2OS19RRamULrjFQqhXsWC9d94fdA3DSIXVLcyJ7BTm1eF ZCJotjDq01sSn43X_BQMhmjOkC1JkNF.L3.XBOa3.IGDqW5xKO lkV15XZNq.s39QNMUutS9kXjK3sNmBU%26lp=) Answers (http://www.answers.com/browse/click.php?source=ysa¶m4=ysa-us-demo-gut¶m1=343222884¶m2=3587191¶m3=www.answers.com%2Farticle%2F1241732%2Fthe-andy-griffith-show-life-after-mayberry¶m5=1018282¶m6=31007306993) Sponsored (https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN22774.html?impressions=true) (https://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/relevantads.html) Thank you for your feedbackWe'll review and make changes needed.Undo (https://news.yahoo.com/germany-rejects-own-spy-agencys-criticism-saudi-arabia-153602211.html#)
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The highly unusual spat between the chancellery and foreign ministry on one side and the BND foreign intelligence service on the other hand erupted when the latter on Wednesday released a report accusing Saudi Arabia of a destabilising shift in foreign policy.
"The until now cautious diplomatic stance of the older members of the leadership of the royal family is being replaced with an impulsive policy of intervention," it said.
In particular, the BND focused on the role of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who holds the defence portfolio and other powerful posts.
The BND said he and his father King Salman, who acceded to power in January, appeared to want to establish themselves as the "leaders of the Arab world" by advancing a foreign policy agenda "with a strong military component as well as new regional alliances".
German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Friday it was crucial that Berlin has a "coherent position" on the role of Saudi Arabia in the region.
"The assessments by the BND that were published do not reflect this coherent position," Seibert said.
"Those who want progress on the pressing issues in the region -- and there are many -- need constructive relations with Saudi Arabia," he said.
"Those who say that do not deny that there can be differences of opinion and differences in our political systems. But Saudi Arabia is a very, very important factor in the region."
He highlighted Saudi Arabia's participation in meetings in Vienna aimed at finding a political solution in Syria and plans to host a meeting of opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Foreign ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer insisted that Berlin had a "good and trusting" relationship with the BND in the analysis of the Middle East.
But he said the role of the BND, which reports to the chancellery, was to provide "information that the government requests" and "not to supply journalists with information".
Mohammed bin Salman has largely spearheaded Riyadh's handling of the war in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition supporting the government against Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels.
Rights groups have repeatedly criticised the strikes, saying they have hit areas where there are no military targets.
Nearly 5,000 people have been killed in the war, more than half of them civilians, according to UN estimates.
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. View photo
The BND report focused on the role of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (second left) who holds the defence portfolio and other powerful posts (AFP Photo/Fayez Nureldine)
Berlin (AFP) - The German government on Friday rejected the findings of a damning report on Saudi Arabia by its own spy agency and called Riyadh a key partner in regional conflict resolution.
Related Stories
[$$] Germany’s BND Criticizes Saudi Arabia’s Role in Arab World (http://www.wsj.com/articles/germanys-bnd-criticizes-saudi-arabias-role-in-arab-world-1449079412?ru=yahoo?mod=yahoo_itp) The Wall Street Journal
German spy agency warns of Saudi shift to 'impulsive' policies (https://news.yahoo.com/german-spy-agency-warns-saudi-shift-impulsive-policies-150428080--business.html) Reuters
Syrian opposition to seek unified stance in Saudi (https://news.yahoo.com/syria-opposition-meet-next-week-riyadh-112256131.html) AFP
Syrian opposition say working towards Saudi meet, but no date set (https://news.yahoo.com/syrian-opposition-working-towards-saudi-meet-no-date-132206911.html) Reuters
Kerry says more cooperation with Russia possible, seeks to reassure opposition (https://news.yahoo.com/kerry-meet-saudi-uae-officials-unifying-syrian-opposition-064458233.html) Reuters
The Andy Griffith Show: Life After Mayberry (https://beap.gemini.yahoo.com/mbclk?bv=1.0.0&es=rfqa648GIS_5.ZhTfm6vxSIHxIsYzRakqT5ws7mRdWFTF32 mp3YoQY.8tm7YQpBXMIJSh27GlKMGmyv.kN0l6Ao.SbP52ZeoN .FIbCpfSQTYs.HmQOhQnZ0MEPcD1UgsCKIXv9R1W519wYh0Fe6 EmQFONCZ7DM3zvyy7hfmzry0jOOWQvstIzS8XNRT7H5lp_cm9l kKl.eMa9b9nOaaR.YlQHdPEfNujfaFOr9iyUJDcUX8FwO26mWL UGi.D6O5xAhSnXI9891B8qUQc_dJV.88uzzrqb6_0VZzDY5mXj UO43NQsDRA1ZU5AVZgvrceVLdg.w2FhrKY9Hlxl98tPzmSwxpF 0cV3WS06NlrCZRj1KBEBdR.6aVURh04e6xbYYCZwgyYEPo2okr c1jB3HbE1szJZA5R9kgQ0tRqm8encc8mlQMOPNhk5Ouhq2doSN ExcaoKmNwJYAxQgmZuudQ5VNLlWrXlQAHiiVPQ0V8M0kXuhxKE yyva8wKcJTcThlbrg9BqRPOTF6q1rjeyBf7W07J7CIjYS8JEz6 QREKnV3Rn.YVjtaQA91r80wy_sSC1eDFe1jG8xu6qH_OYIfSIL H8__w2OS19RRamULrjFQqhXsWC9d94fdA3DSIXVLcyJ7BTm1eF ZCJotjDq01sSn43X_BQMhmjOkC1JkNF.L3.XBOa3.IGDqW5xKO lkV15XZNq.s39QNMUutS9kXjK3sNmBU%26lp=) Answers (http://www.answers.com/browse/click.php?source=ysa¶m4=ysa-us-demo-gut¶m1=343222884¶m2=3587191¶m3=www.answers.com%2Farticle%2F1241732%2Fthe-andy-griffith-show-life-after-mayberry¶m5=1018282¶m6=31007306993) Sponsored (https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN22774.html?impressions=true) (https://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/relevantads.html) Thank you for your feedbackWe'll review and make changes needed.Undo (https://news.yahoo.com/germany-rejects-own-spy-agencys-criticism-saudi-arabia-153602211.html#)
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The highly unusual spat between the chancellery and foreign ministry on one side and the BND foreign intelligence service on the other hand erupted when the latter on Wednesday released a report accusing Saudi Arabia of a destabilising shift in foreign policy.
"The until now cautious diplomatic stance of the older members of the leadership of the royal family is being replaced with an impulsive policy of intervention," it said.
In particular, the BND focused on the role of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who holds the defence portfolio and other powerful posts.
The BND said he and his father King Salman, who acceded to power in January, appeared to want to establish themselves as the "leaders of the Arab world" by advancing a foreign policy agenda "with a strong military component as well as new regional alliances".
German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Friday it was crucial that Berlin has a "coherent position" on the role of Saudi Arabia in the region.
"The assessments by the BND that were published do not reflect this coherent position," Seibert said.
"Those who want progress on the pressing issues in the region -- and there are many -- need constructive relations with Saudi Arabia," he said.
"Those who say that do not deny that there can be differences of opinion and differences in our political systems. But Saudi Arabia is a very, very important factor in the region."
He highlighted Saudi Arabia's participation in meetings in Vienna aimed at finding a political solution in Syria and plans to host a meeting of opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Foreign ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer insisted that Berlin had a "good and trusting" relationship with the BND in the analysis of the Middle East.
But he said the role of the BND, which reports to the chancellery, was to provide "information that the government requests" and "not to supply journalists with information".
Mohammed bin Salman has largely spearheaded Riyadh's handling of the war in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition supporting the government against Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels.
Rights groups have repeatedly criticised the strikes, saying they have hit areas where there are no military targets.
Nearly 5,000 people have been killed in the war, more than half of them civilians, according to UN estimates.