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                        Saudi Intelligence Chief Resigns

   by Edward Yeranian

   Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, has been
   removed from his post "at his own request" according to Saudi state
   media.
   The news that Prince Bandar bin Sultan is being replaced as Saudi
   intelligence chief was cheered by his arch-enemies, including Iran and
   its top allies, Syria and Lebanon's Hezbollah.  Iran's Al Alam TV
   blamed the prince for "supporting al-Qaida in Syria," and attributed
   his political demise to his failure to defeat Syrian President Bashar
   al-Assad.
   The 65 year old prince is being replaced by his deputy, General Youssef
   al Idrissi.
   Bandar had been spearheading Saudi efforts to unseat President Assad in
   the bitter and bloody Syrian civil war, supporting various Sunni rebel
   factions.  But he came under criticism for supporting al Qaida,
   prompting King Abdallah to wrest Syria operations away from him in
   February, handing them to Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef.
   American University of Beirut Professor Hilal Khashan has written about
   Prince Bandar and tells VOA that supporting al Qaida is a sore spot in
   the kingdom.
   "There was a prelude to dismissing him a few months ago," said Khashan.
   "The Saudis announced they would put on trial any Saudi fighting in
   Syria and Bandar invested in supporting al Qaida in Syria, he wanted to
   get rid of the Syrian regime at any cost, even to the point of working
   with al- Qaida.  So, the moment the Saudis decided to ban Saudis from
   going to Syria it became clear Bandar's approach to Syria has failed
   and the Saudis were about to alter their policy on Syria."
   Khashan says it took Saudi Arabia 10 years to evict al-Qaida from Saudi
   soil, so many Saudi princes were angry over Bandar's support for the
   group in Syria, which they feared would ultimately come back to haunt
   them.
   He says Bandar frequently clashed with other members of the royal
   family.
   "He fell from grace because obviously he failed in Syria," said
   Khashan. "Since 2006, when he was appointed as the kingdom's
   intelligence boss, he disappeared from the scene four times, mainly
   because he kept clashing with members of the royal family.  He is a
   difficult person and I understand he is arrogant and was sent abroad on
   the pretext of seeking medical service."
   Prince Bandar's relations with the United States have been rocky, and
   he has reportedly threatened on several occasions to affect a "major
   shift" away from the Saudi kingdom's long alliance with Washington.
   Bandar has reportedly criticized the Obama administration for not
   supplying Syrian rebels with heavy weaponry.
   The prince was a well-known figure in Washington, where he served as
   Saudi ambassador to the United States for nearly 30 years.  He also had
   close ties to former presidents George W. Bush and his father George
   H.W. Bush.
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   735.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/saudi-intelligence-chief-resigns/1894735.html