RIYADH, June 13: The United States has plans in place for a prolonged, substantial military presence in the Middle East, even for decades if needed. Ephraim Halevy, a former chief of Israel’s intelligence service and currently national security adviser to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said in article published in an Israeli newspaper on Sunday that the US invasion of Iraq was perceived [in the Middle East and Washington] as a ‘signal of long-term American commitment to do whatever is required and to stay in the neighbourhood for as long as needed’.

Senior US policymakers have ‘raised the idea of establishing an American trusteeship regime in the areas of the Palestinian Authority, if it should turn out that the Palestinians are not ripe for self-rule’, Mr Halevy said.

“Speaking in a semi-closed forum during a visit to Israel a few months ago,” continued Halevy, “Bill Kristol, one of the most influential ‘neocons’ in the United States, noted that the American presence in Europe after World War II lasted for nearly 60 years

“Israelis trying to promote a role for Nato in the region, in one form or another, are actually promoting a generation-long American presence.” U.S. entanglement in the Middle East in the name of “democracy” has further destabilized the region and made more likely violent revolutions to occur, especially in countries such as Saudi Arabia.

“In [an early April] visit to the United States,” comments Halevy, “I was told by several well-informed observers that should one of the more severe scenarios come to pass, the United States will have no choice but to deepen its presence in the Middle East. To that end, it will have to renew the draft, to ensure that there are enough forces to deal with developing situations in countries like Saudi Arabia.”