Saudi Spy Chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last Wednesday to discuss the Middle East with a focus on Syria.

• Reuters: "Russia has maintained military sales to Syria throughout the two year conflict in which 100,000 people have been killed, and helped block three U.N. draft resolutions criticizing Assad's crackdown on the mainly peaceful protests against him in 2011."

  Axis Response: Two truths and a lie - It's true that Russia has been supporting Syria with military sales and that they have blocked (with China) three U.N. draft resolutions against President Assad. The lie is that Assad "cracked down" on "peaceful protests in 2011." They weren't "protestors" and they weren't peaceful; rather they were foreign invaders and they were violent, wounding, killing and butchering many Syrian civilians, police and military.
  

• Reuters: "Syrian opposition sources close to Saudi Arabia said Prince Bandar offered to buy up to $15 billion of Russian weapons as well as ensuring that Gulf gas would not threaten Russia's position as a main gas supplier to Europe."

  Axis Response: It is now well-known that what Reuters calls the "Syrian opposition" are foreign terrorists working with Al Queda and backed by the US, England, France, Israel, other Euro countries and their client Arab regimes to bring down President Assad and overthrow the legitimate Syrian government. These "Syrian opposition" quoted by Reuters are hardly a reliable source for this information.
  

  Moreover, the offer to buy up to $15 billion of Russia's weapons is a deal that Russia rejected 5 years ago. (more on this below)
  
  The Threat - In 2012 Gazprom supplied a total of 138.8 billion m³of gas to Europe. As of today, the largest buyers of Russian gas are Germany, Turkey and Italy. In 2012 gas supplies to the CIS and Baltic States accounted for 64.4 billion m³. Russia sells gas to over 30 countries. On what basis can Saudi threaten Russia's supply of gas to Europe? Europe is far too dependent on Gazprom to allow an interruption of it's supply of Russian gas as happened when Ukraine tried cutting passage of Russian supplies to Europe in 2005 and were put in their place in 2009. Aside from this, threatening the person you are trying to con when in a weak position is not wise. Saudi's "carrot & stick" approach to Vladimir Putin is stupid at best. They have no carrot to offer (the defunct arms deal) and Bandar's only stick is up his ass.
  

• Reuters: "The proposed deal between two of the leading power brokers in Syria's devastating civil war was set out by Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week, they said."

  Axis Response: Reuters repeats the West's description of the foreign attack on Syria as a "civil war." There is no civil war taking place in Syria. A large majority of Syrians support President Assad and their legitimate government.

  As early as 2008, it was reported that this same Saudi Prince, Bandar bin Saltin, long time ambassador to Washington along with Jeffrey Feltman, a Zionist, US diplomat to the Middle East and Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs, "had hatched a $2 billion plot to destabilise Syria and overthrow the Assad regime." Why on earth would President Putin trust Bandar or anyone he represents?
  

• Reuters: "A Gulf source familiar with the matter confirmed that Prince Bandar offered to buy large quantities of arms from Russia, but that no cash amount was specified in the talks."

  Axis Response: Typical of Reuters and the rest of the corporate media, in addition to their earlier terrorist sources in Syria, this bit of information comes from "A Gulf source familiar with the matter," without providing a name.

  Reuters is referring to an arms deal that Russia and Saudi Arabia discussed 5 years ago (2008), long before the attack on Syria began. The deal described by Defense Update was  for Russia to sell 150 T-90s, over 100 Mi-17 and Mi-35 attack helicopters and BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles. In this report, Reuters says the deal "was stopped for mysterious reasons." There is no mystery. Russia has been selling it's arms to countries more to their liking such as Syria, Venezuela and others rather than to US-backed dictatorships such as Saudi Arabia who threaten their region.
  

• Reuters: "Putin's initial response to Bandar's offer was inconclusive, diplomats say. One Western diplomat in the Middle East said the Russian leader was unlikely to trade Moscow's recent high profile in the region for an arms deal, however substantial."

  Axis Response: Anyone familiar with President Putin's reasons for backing the Syrian government knows that Putin's "initial response" being "inconclusive" means rejection. Again their "Western diplomat" has no name.
  

• Reuters: "However, in a possible sign of greater flexibility by Moscow, other diplomats said that in the run-up to the meeting Russia put pressure on Assad to allow in a U.N. mission to investigate the suspected use of chemical weapons"

  Axis Response: No evidence of Russia's "pressure on Assad" is given and Reuters' source, "other diplomats" again go unnamed while Reuters drags out tired old claims of Assad using chemical weapons - discredited months ago but there have been credible reports that chemical weapons have only been used by the "Islamic" terrorists to justify claims of their use by Assad against his own people. Even the most jaded remember the lies about WMD in Iraq.
  

• Reuters: "One Lebanese politician close to Saudi Arabia said the meeting between Bandar and Putin lasted four hours. 'The Saudis were elated about the outcome of the meeting,' said the source, without elaborating."

  Axis Response: "One Lebanese politician" (again w/o a name) reports the meeting lasted for 4 hours - as though the length of the meeting suggests Putin might be weakening his resolve. This isn't journalism. It's bullshit.
  

• Reuters: "A senior Syrian opposition figure said ... 'Bandar sought to allay two main Russian fears: that Islamist extremists will replace Assad, and that Syria would become a conduit for Gulf, mainly Qatari, gas at the expense of Russia'."

  Axis Response: True, "Islamist extremists" would replace the Assad government and Putin is well aware of it. These extremists are already spearheading the western-backed proxy war in Syria.  Not true, Putin has already demonstrated that he is not afraid of the West; he's just a hell of a lot smarter than the likes of Barack Obama and David Cameron. Putin simply refuses to allow the US, NATO and Israel to criminally destroy Syria as they did Libya. Coupled with his sense of morality, he is also protecting Russia from US/NATO forces gaining control of a neighboring country on Russia's border.
  
  Second, Bandar is showing his hole card. Why would Putin give up Syria if the Saudis bring up the threat of using Syria to pipeline Qatari gas to Europe? Bandar would lose his money in a poker game.
  

• Reuters: "He said Russian officials also appeared skeptical that Saudi Arabia had a clear plan for stability in Syria if Assad fell."

  Axis Response: Laughable. Vladamir Putin and the Russian government are far more than skeptical. They know Saudi's history with the United States and their nefarious plans for Syria.
  

• Reuters: "Russian newspaper Kommersant reported at the time that the contract [to sell Russian arms to Saudi in 2008] was concluded to persuade Moscow to curtail its ties with Iran, though the Kremlin denied that report."

  Axis Response: It's interesting that Reuters concludes its account of why the earlier Russian-Saudi arms deal failed by quoting the Daily Kommersant. The Kommersant is owned by "big business and oligarchs," according to a report by The National Interest, the Kommersant has led an anti-Putin campaign for years determined to, "undermine Putin’s legitimacy and the government’s power over big business... For this group of elites, an open split in the Putin-Medvedev tandem is their worst nightmare, forcing them to take a stand for or against—and risk their billions."

  The National Interest report continues,

  "An impartial analysis reveals that the Putin-controlled media is a myth, especially Putin-controlled television. Print media influential in elite circles has been leading an anti-Putin campaign for years with varying degrees of intensity and criticism. These include Novaya Gazeta, the daily Kommersant and the journal Kommersant-Vlast, together with the Ogonek magazine owned by them, the journal The New Times and many others."

AMMAN/DOHA | Wed Aug 7, 2013 9:53am EDT

(Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has offered Russia economic incentives including a major arms deal and a pledge not to challenge Russian gas sales if Moscow scales back support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Middle East sources and Western diplomats said on Wednesday.

The proposed deal between two of the leading power brokers in Syria's devastating civil war was set out by Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week, they said.

Russia has supported Assad with arms and diplomatic cover throughout the war and any change in Moscow's stance would remove a major obstacle to action on Syria by the United Nations Security Council.

Syrian opposition sources close to Saudi Arabia said Prince Bandar offered to buy up to $15 billion of Russian weapons as well as ensuring that Gulf gas would not threaten Russia's position as a main gas supplier to Europe.

In return, Saudi Arabia wanted Moscow to ease its strong support of Assad and agree not to block any future Security Council Resolution on Syria, they said.

A Gulf source familiar with the matter confirmed that Prince Bandar offered to buy large quantities of arms from Russia, but that no cash amount was specified in the talks.

One Lebanese politician close to Saudi Arabia said the meeting between Bandar and Putin lasted four hours. "The Saudis were elated about the outcome of the meeting," said the source, without elaborating.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, could not immediately be reached on Wednesday for comment about the meeting. A Saudi Foreign Ministry official was also not immediately available to respond.

Putin's initial response to Bandar's offer was inconclusive, diplomats say. One Western diplomat in the Middle East said the Russian leader was unlikely to trade Moscow's recent high profile in the region for an arms deal, however substantial.

He said Russian officials also appeared skeptical that Saudi Arabia had a clear plan for stability in Syria if Assad fell.

CHEMICAL WEAPONS

However, in a possible sign of greater flexibility by Moscow, other diplomats said that in the run-up to the meeting Russia put pressure on Assad to allow in a U.N. mission to investigate the suspected use of chemical weapons.

The U.N. team is expected to visit Syria next week.

"This was one of those unannounced meetings that could prove much more important than the public diplomatic efforts being made on Syria," one diplomat said.

A senior Syrian opposition figure said there had been a "build-up of Russian-Saudi contacts prior to the meeting".

"Bandar sought to allay two main Russian fears: that Islamist extremists will replace Assad, and that Syria would become a conduit for Gulf, mainly Qatari, gas at the expense of Russia," he said. "Bandar offered to intensify energy, military and economic cooperation with Moscow."

Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Muslim powers have been strong supporters of the mainly Sunni rebels battling Assad, from Syria's minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam. The rebels have been joined by foreign Sunni jihadis.

Assad has enjoyed military support from Iran and fighters from Hezbollah and Iraqi Shi'ites.

Russia has maintained military sales to Syria throughout the two year conflict in which 100,000 people have been killed, and helped block three U.N. draft resolutions criticizing Assad's crackdown on the mainly peaceful protests against him in 2011.

The Security Council has been considering a possible resolution on aid for Syria for several months and a shift in position by Moscow could alleviate this.

Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Moscow-based defense think tank CAST, said he had no direct knowledge of the offer, but he would not be surprised if a contract to supply Saudi Arabia with 150 Russian T-90 tanks were revived.

"There was an order of T-90s that was stopped for mysterious reasons, and if this is a resurrection of that order then we could suspect that the Saudis want something in return and that something could be linked to Syria," said Pukhov, who is close to Russia's Defense Ministry.

"If the Saudis want Moscow to outright drop Assad, they will refuse the deal, but they may have a more nuanced position, which they could possibly agree to."

Russia and Saudi Arabia penned an arms contract in 2008 for 150 T-90s as well as more than 100 Mi-17 and Mi-35 attack helicopters as well as BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, but the contract has stalled for years.

Russian newspaper Kommersant reported at the time that the contract was concluded to persuade Moscow to curtail its ties with Iran, though the Kremlin denied that report.

(Additional reporting by Thomas Grove in Moscow; Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Source: Reuters Corporate News Agency