WASHINGTON – A growing number of Washington insiders encouraging a greaterUS involvement in Saudi nuclear energy and military fields.
Former House majority leader Eric Cantor is among them, telling CNBClink>onSunday that the “trust factor is there” in the US’s support of SaudiArabia’s nuclear energy pursuits.
“I think there’s a lot of commitment and respect mutually in terms of theU.S. and the Saudi Arabian government, and the trust factor is there.”
“(Saudi Arabia) is an extremely important and strategic ally of the U.S.,”Cantor added. “And for us to want to see that country become a fullparticipant in the global economy and the geopolitical arena is somethingthat I think is in the interest of all Americans and certainly of ourgovernment and our strategic interests.”
On the military front, an American army expert has highlighted the need forSaudi Arabia to be granted non-NATO ally status by the Trump administration.
Washington had been trying to enhance the US-Saudi relations, “as it shoulddo,” by offering several enticements that include a “non-NATO status” tohelp bring the Saudis into a key alliance to perform expanded securitytasks in the region, intelligence officer and retired Lt. Col. Tony Shaffertold Al Arabiya English this week.
“The idea of the US giving Saudi Arabia a non-NATO status is to formspecial bilateral relations, and that means enhanced intelligence,information sharing, and operational coordination, very similar torelations between NATO members,” Shaffer said.
The US had previously proposed a military agreement with Saudi Arabia,Shaffer said, which is essentially similar to the NATO and Five Eyes (analliance of five countries: the United States, United Kingdom, Australia,Canada, and New Zealand.)
Both countries are working on containing Iran’s militia activities in theregion.
Trump’s administration has previously discussed hopes for a force describedby Washingtonians as an “Arab NATO” led by Saudi Arabia.
It would be a force “that consists primarily of our Arab allies which wouldsupport and maintain the collective security of the region,” Shaffer said.