Reporters Saudi Arabia

When right minds fail to come to terms and order breaks down and reproduces into chaos, when nations face off across flat plains and opposing citizens march into fields of blood, she is there to record the trauma, a diminutive, graying, wisecracking, chain-smoking raconteur of war.

The United States on Friday listed four important Middle East allies in a group of 14 countries that could be subject to sanctions for their alleged failure to halt human trafficking across international borders. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar were lumped together with North Korea, Myanmar and Cuba in the State Department's fifth annual Trafficking in Persons Report as nations that fail to comply with the minimum standards of control against human trafficking.

The United States on Friday listed four important Middle East allies in a group of 14 countries that could be subject to sanctions for their alleged failure to halt human trafficking across international borders. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar were lumped together with North Korea, Myanmar and Cuba in the State Department's fifth annual Trafficking in Persons Report as nations that fail to comply with the minimum standards of control against human trafficking.

When right minds fail to come to terms and order breaks down and reproduces into chaos, when nations face off across flat plains and opposing citizens march into fields of blood, she is there to record the trauma, a diminutive, graying, wisecracking, chain-smoking raconteur of war.

The "thank you" that ended President Bush's news conference today came not from the press corps but the President, thanking reporters for correcting several mistakes. Bush verbally confused Iraq and Saudi Arabia and also said the main U.S. objective in sending troops to the Persian Gulf area was "the defense of the Soviet Union." Asked at one point what persuaded him to send U.S.

Members of Congress visited U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia and told reporters afterward that Iraq's withdrawal from Kuwait would not by itself end the Persian Gulf crisis. House Defense Committee Chairman John Murtha (D-Pa.) said Baghdad's ability to produce chemical and biological weapons must be destroyed as well. Either Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is "dumber than a stump" or "his ego is too big" to allow him to recognize the probability of defeat in a Persian Gulf shoot-out, U.S. Army Lt.

Peter Arnett is scooping the world with exclusive coverage of Baghdad under fire. Stay tuned for the controversy immediately following these CNN broadcasts. Just as there has never before been "real time" war reporting, neither has any news organization faced double, ongoing censorship from friend and foe. Some issues: -- Does the journalistic duty to inform include transmitting enemy propaganda in wartime? -- Do Arnett's reports add information vital to the American public, or its military?

Seeking to defuse speculation about war, Saudi Arabia's defense minister said Saturday that U.S. forces would be allowed to launch an attack on Iraq from Saudi soil only if it were necessary for the defense of the kingdom. "The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not a theater for any action that is not defensive for Saudi Arabia," Prince Sultan ibn Abdulaziz told reporters. "Saudi Arabia does not initiate hostilities against brother Arab states. Saudi Arabia is a defensive country. . . .

Saudi Arabia and Texaco Inc. signed a $1.8-billion deal Thursday creating a joint venture to refine, distribute and market oil products in 23 American states. The deal gives Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest crude oil exporter, access to the largest oil market in the world and is a major step toward integrating its operations from the well to the gas pump.

OPEC got close to a deal Friday that would cut oil output for the spring, but Saudi Arabia backed out late in the afternoon, according to sources at the cartel's contentious meeting. The sources, who spoke on condition they not be named, said Saudi Oil Minister Hisham Nazir told other members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries that Saudi Arabia had a series of proposals for slashing oil output.

Southern California's two major radio news stations have adopted different policies toward covering the daily military briefings from Riyadh and the Pentagon about the war with Iraq. KNX-AM (1070) is covering them in full, while KFWB-AM (980) has chosen to broadcast only the first portion of them.

OPEC announced Thursday that a committee of three oil ministers would visit all 13 member countries in an attempt to halt excess oil production that has been pushing down prices. The decision was announced after an emergency meeting of oil ministers from five members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.