"Saudis plan fence to block Iraq's terrorists

POSTED: 12:00 p.m. EDT, September 27, 2006

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- In a sign of regional concern over terrorism, Saudi Arabia is pushing ahead with plans to build a fence along its entire 560-mile (900-kilometer) border with Iraq to prevent terrorists from entering the kingdom from the chaotic north.

The barrier, which likely will take five to six years to complete, is part of a $12 billion package of measures, including electronic sensors, bases and physical barriers, to protect the oil-rich kingdom from external threats, said Nawaf Obaid, head of the Saudi National Security Assessment Project, an independent research institute that provides security advice to the Saudi government.

The ambitious project reflects not only concern over terrorism but also growing alarm over the situation in Iraq, where U.S. forces are struggling to prevent Sunni-Shiite violence from escalating to full-scale civil war. (Watch as one analyst says U.S. strategy is flawed -- 1:45)

All of Iraq's neighbors, including the Saudis, fear that violence could spill over the borders and threaten their own security.

For the Saudis, those threats could come from Saudi militants returning home to continue the struggle against the pro-U.S. monarchy or from Shiite extremists seeking to stir up trouble among the country's Shiite minority.

Since 2004, Saudi Arabia has spent about $1.8 billion to shore up its defenses along the border with Iraq.

U.S. and Iraqi officials have long complained about Saudi extremists crossing into Iraq -- mostly through Syria -- to join the battle against American and coalition forces.

However, Obaid said improvements in border surveillance had sharply reduced the traffic heading north. He said the Saudi government is more concerned -- at this point -- with infiltration into its territory from Iraq.

"More importantly, the main issue is to seal the border on the Iraqi side since there has been almost no [Iraqi security] presence since the U.S. invasion," Obaid said.

In addition to political extremists, the Saudis want to prevent drug smugglers, weapons dealers and illegal migrants from using Iraq as an avenue into Saudi Arabia, Obaid said."


http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/09/27/saudi.fence.ap/index.html





Let me see....

Israel starts to build fence on border because of terrorists, many here object.

US wants to build fence on border because of illegal immegration, many here object.

Saudi Arabia plans to build fence ( for above reasons)- I wonder what the comments will be?