300 billion dollars for overthrow the Assad regime offered to Russian President Vladimir Putin by Saudi Defense Minister Mohammad bin Salman in a secret meeting. The alleged offer made by Saudi Arabia to the historic ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad caused quite a stir.
It should be noted that the news did not have an echo in the West, but caused a sensation in the Middle East and mainly in Russia, with official government press organs forced to deny the meeting. A few hours ago the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, also defined the episode as a colossal hoax.
Last week, the Iranian newspaper Ettelaat headlines a secret dialogue that took place in Sochi, between Vladimir Putin and the Saudi Defense Minister, Prince bin Salman. At that juncture, the Saudi defense minister allegedly offered Moscow $ 300 billion and a promise of further investment in the Russian economy in exchange for ending support for the Assad government. For the Iranians, Putin would have rejected the offer.
More details emerge from the Lebanese press. The story was picked up by the newspaper Addiyar in a real in-depth analysis that also reports Putin's alleged response. The former lieutenant colonel of the KGB would have replied to the prince: “my government is not the mafia, we do not kill friends and enemies in exchange for money. Money will not change Moscow's strategic principles ”. All versions of the alleged offer were denied by the Kremlin.
It would be appropriate to point out the real purpose of those articles published in Iran and Lebanon, countries where freedom of thought is strongly influenced and where the press are pro-government. The story of that meeting, probably created for internal propaganda purposes, has achieved its purpose (at least in the countries where the news was published): to make Putin's position in the Syrian question overwhelming and discredit Saudi Arabia. The animosity towards Saudi Arabia is believed to be due to the proximity to the United States (although one day this loyalty could be questioned if the 28 pages of the Joint Intelligence Inquiry, commission that has studied the dynamics and responsibilities of 11/9 and which could demonstrate a strong involvement of Riyadh). Because if it is true that on the one hand the Saudi laws on the segregation of the sexes are an affront to all kinds of human and logical rights, on the other the country is closely linked to the United States.
The Saudis, however, also do business with France, Great Britain and Russia. The denial of the Kremlin could be part of a perfect party game. Returning to the alleged offer scandal reported by the Lebanese and Iranian media: the press organs of these countries rarely report inquiries or scoops, when these are not aligned with the government. Hence, that meeting between Saudis and Russians, in the face of the Lebanese and Iranian population, had to be justified: discrediting the enemies and praising the loyalty of the allies.
