[Washington, D.C. - January 29, 2003]  For many Americans, the first month of a new year can hardly have transpired successfully if the First Leader failed to give the State of the Union Address. President Bush delivered the annual speech last night to a joint session of Congress.

On the day after this important occasion, the Saudi American Forum is pleased to report on the state of Saudi Arabia-United States cooperation in the war on terrorism.

Unabated Bashing

A report at this juncture is timely for various reasons. An overriding one is that the American media's rash of negative information and analysis related to the Kingdom continues unabated.

The phenomenon began in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, and was accelerated after Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Abdallah won unanimous backing from all 22 members of the League of Arab States for his unprecedented peace proposal to end the Arab-Israeli conflict. Unable to find bona fide fault with the proposal, critics elected instead to attack the messenger and the messenger's country.

In contrast, given what is at stake in the United States' relationship with Saudi Arabia, the number of factually correct and insightful statements appearing on an ongoing basis in published reports about the Kingdom continues to be far fewer than one might imagine or have reason to expect. This is particularly the case with regard to various aspects of public discourse regarding the special ties between Riyadh and Washington.

Many Americans and Saudi Arabians, together with others proud to count themselves as the allies and strategic partners of both, remain astonished by the stridency and shrillness of large section's of the media's unrelenting attacks. They also find the nature and extent of the smear campaign unprecedented and mean-spirited.

Harming the Relationship

No one on either side can deny that the ongoing anger and confusion of many Americans since the 9-11 terrorist attacks stems largely from the fact that 15 of the 19 attackers came from the southwestern region of the Kingdom. Neither can one deny that the prolongation of such sentiments is, in various ways, natural and understandable.

Despite this, large numbers of American and Saudi Arabian analysts are taken aback that such a concerted media operation to harm the relationship is coming overwhelmingly from within the United States.

Increasing numbers believe that the campaign to malign the Kingdom and the special U.S.-Saudi relationship has gone on for far too long. They also are apprehensive that its continuance poses considerable danger to the national security, people-to-people, and related interests of both countries.

The Concern

Significant numbers of publishers and editors responsible for the newspapers' op-ed pages, weekly journals, and television and radio talk shows can hardly claim that, in reporting on Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Arabia-US relationship since September 11, they have consistently adhered to the highest standards.

A critical chorus has voiced the view that as far as honoring the ordinary norms of responsibility are concerned, the conventional canons of media integrity continue to be conspicuous by their absence. What is worse, there are no known instances to date where any publications moguls have been called to account.

On the other hand, many would ask whether there is much ado about nothing in this instance, claiming that, if anything, there is little new in this regard. Others would agree and add the caveat that as the ties between no countries are bereft of blemish there should be nothing wrong with pointing out what those blemishes are.

But neither of these two points is at issue here. Rather, the concern is of a different nature. It is that any sustained depiction of reality that is consistently inaccurate and negative with regard to the multifaceted web of mutual benefits between these two global giants is unavoidably laced with damaging and potentially dangerous consequences.

In this regard, senior officials on both sides acknowledge an understated reality as to what is being placed at risk. It is embedded in the fact that the bilateral relationship is of immense mutual benefit to Americans and Saudi Arabians alike.

It is that the range of such benefits is such that many foreign policy strategists outside the Saudi Arabian-United States relationship find it difficult to contemplate that a comparable range of advantages could accrue to their own countries.

It is that the benefits to both Americans and Saudi Arabians that derive from the relationship are the envy, if not also the fantasy, of public and private sector leaders in every other country in the world.

The Issues

This is the context in which this author presents herein a collection of official U.S. and Saudi Arabian statements, together with other commentary and remarks by the top leaders in America and the Kingdom, on most of the issues that have been and remain in the media's line of sight.

In so doing, the purpose is to provide a source of information and reference that would not otherwise be readily available on what high-ranking American and Saudi Arabian leaders have and have not said on the topics in question.

What is reported here are facts forgotten by many who continue to contend that the Kingdom has not been sufficiently forthcoming in aiding American officials in their efforts to investigate 9-11, to stem the tide of criticism against the United States, and to improve the bilateral relationship.

The facts presented are valid through a year ago today and refute the lingering charges that the Kingdom has been inadequately cooperative from the beginning.

The greatest number of false and misleading statements and analyses that continue to appear in the American media relate to the following:

• the extent to which the Kingdom has or has not condemned terrorism;
• the status of U.S.-Saudi Arabian investigations of the September 11 terrorist attacks;
• the Saudi Arabian-U.S. relationship;
• the allegations of Saudi funding for terrorism;
• the identification and freezing of terrorism's financial assets;
• the question of Saudi Arabian support for Osama bin Laden; and
• the Kingdom's education system and anti-Americanism.

Documentation

The documentation herein relates not only to an official institution from which commentary regarding these issues and questions has emanated. It relates also to the date the commentary was published.

The statements are also linked to many of the most authoritative individual sources of American and Saudi Arabian responses to these and related issues. The material covers most of the frequently asked questions since September 11 and continuing through mid-January 2003.

The reason for the lessened frequency with which the state of Saudi-American cooperation on terrorism has been reported in the past several months is not coincidental. It is the result of the far greater worldwide attention to the Iraq crisis and, correspondingly, a far lower profile with regard to other issues than before.

With respect to each of the topics examined, the Kingdom's policy or position on the issue or question in dispute is presented first, followed by documentation of statements from one or more American officials in response.

I. On Saudi Arabian Cooperation with the United States

The Kingdom's Position …

Crown Prince Abdullah recently described Saudi Arabian-United States' ties as "excellent." Cooperation and support remains very high at all levels, particularly in military, diplomatic, and economic affairs. The Kingdom does, however, continue to have concerns with regard to American policy towards the Middle East, and it continues to urge the United States to become more involved in efforts to bring peace to the region.

In some of his repeated statements on this subject, the Crown Prince has expressed a belief in being honest and sincere with one's friends. To this end, he has frequently indicated the belief that America's earlier prolonged disengagement from the peace process was wrong.

He has also consistently stated that because Washington's subsequent engagement has been more rhetorical than operational, this has been and continues to be not only harmful to American credibility, but, also, dangerous for the region.

The Crown Prince has consistently pointed out that the Kingdom has been a loyal friend and ally of the United States for over six decades. Indeed, this year will commemorate the 70th anniversary since diplomatic relations between the two countries were established.

Prince Abdallah and all the country's top leaders have emphasized that the two countries have a multifaceted range of very strong ties, and, from their side, they intend to keep it this way and, in so doing, remain committed to the fight against terrorism.

…And the Documentation of American Officials' Statements

"We've had a very constructive dialogue with Saudi Arabia on a wide range of issues, including this terrorist financing effort, and as you are aware, we're very satisfied with the level of Saudi cooperation."

Source: Philip Reeker, Deputy Spokesman, U.S. Department of State, December 7, 2001

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"We have gotten very, very good cooperation in the military area… There is a joint operations center up and running. There is a whole lot of cooperation going on."

Source: Unnamed Senior U.S. Department of State Official, as quoted by Nicholas Kralev in "Saudi Arabia Cuts Ties with Taliban," in the Washington Times, September 26, 2001.

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"[W]e've had very good cooperation with the Saudi government [and] excellent cooperation in the military area."

Source: Richard Boucher, Spokesman, U.S. Department of State, September 24, 2001.

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"The Saudis have been responsive on all of the things that we have asked them to do."

Source: Colin Powell, Secretary of State, October 3, 2001

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"As far as the Saudi Arabians go, …they've been nothing but cooperative."

Source: President George W. Bush, September 24, 2001

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"We have a good relationship with Saudi Arabia. We cooperate with Saudi Arabia at many different levels - law enforcement, intelligence exchange, picking up people who have been involved or are suspected to be involved in terrorist activity, in sharing information with the law enforcement activities and intelligence agencies of both governments …"

Source: Secretary of State Colin Powell, November 26, 2002

II. On Saudi Arabian Support for the Campaign Against Terrorism

The Kingdom's Policy …

Saudi Arabia's policy is that it is fully cooperating with the United States and the international coalition against terrorism. Numerous Saudi Arabian leaders, including virtually all of the country's top officials, say that the Kingdom is engaged in and assigns the highest priority to such cooperation because the country and its people have been victims of terrorism. The country's leadership typically adds that it does so because its Islamic faith and culture rejects terrorism in all its forms.

The Kingdom's senior officials point out that the United States President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council Advisor, and the Secretary of the Treasury have all publicly and unequivocally stated that Saudi Arabia has been very cooperative in the fight against terrorism, and that it has done everything it was asked to do.

…And the Documentation of American Official Positions and Statements

"The Saudis have been good hosts and our troops have been good guests. I know that Secretary Rumsfeld is constantly looking at the footprint of what forces we have out there, but in my conversations with the Saudi leaders, just about four or five days ago with Prince Saud, I've had no suggestions that they were about to ask us to leave."

Source: Colin Powell, Secretary of State, on ABC TV's "This Week," January 20, 2002

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"We expressed a great appreciation for the cooperation we have enjoyed for many years, and we expect to enjoy good cooperation and very good relations well into the indefinite future."

Source: Lincoln Bloomfield, Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, Statement to the Associated Press, January 20, 2002.

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"… Saudi Arabia has been a moderate Arab regime that has been friendly with the United States …[W]e have been able to cooperate with Saudi Arabia in a way that has assisted us, for example in conducting the war against Iraq, when Iraq invaded Kuwait. And we do have some forces that are there now that enable us to fly aircraft and contribute to peace and stability in the region."

Source: Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense, on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal"

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"The Saudis are cooperating quietly. …The bilateral relationship has long been based on give-and-take."

Source: Brent Scowcroft, Chairman, Foreign Intelligence Board, Bush Administration, and former National Security Adviser in the Administration of President George Herbert Walker Bush, as quoted in Karen de Young, "Saudis Seethe Over Media Reports on Anti-Terror Effort," Washington Post, November 6, 2001.

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"I …appreciated the Crown Prince's assurance that Saudi Arabia condemns terrorism."

Source: President George W. Bush, remarking on his meeting with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Abdallah in Crawford, Texas, last April

Author's comment: In addition to half a dozen or more extended visits to the Kingdom and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries since 9-11, this writer was present at each of the past two GCC Heads of State Summit.

The summits were held, respectively, in Oman on December 30, 2001, and Doha, Qatar, December 20-22, 2002. On both occasions, each of the six GCC member-states' heads of delegation could hardly have been clearer in their condemnation of terrorism.

At the first of these summits, the host, Sultan Qaboos, the Ruler of Oman, opened the summit with a statement that could not have been more forceful regarding the subject.

Prince Abdullah's Position

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah's remarks were just as strong: "It is the duty of all Muslims," he said, "to unequivocally condemn all terrorist acts clearly and without any vagueness and to condemn all who support them."

The UAE's Shaikh Maktum, Bahrain's Shaikh Hamad, Qatar's Shaikh Hamad, and Kuwait's Shaikh Sabah all voiced nearly identical sentiments.

A nuanced difference between Saudi Arabia's and the U.S. government's condemnation of terrorism over this period has been as follows. Whereas Riyadh has condemned the phenomenon of terrorism without any reservations, it has also sought to call attention to the need to prevent the seeds of terrorism from taking root, and the necessity to address effectively the source of issues that sustain terrorism.

Crossroads at Crawford

Rarely, if ever, have senior U.S. officials been accused of displaying an excess of empathy in their understanding of what Saudi Arabia is up against in shouldering its share of the burden in the campaign against terrorism.

A major exception occurred when Crown Prince Abdallah visited Crawford, Texas last April to meet with America's head of state. On that occasion, President Bush spoke the truth when he noted to his guest, "The only country that Al-Qaeda seeks to harm more than ours is your country."

Otherwise, the frequency with which U.S. pronouncements have acknowledged any foreign policy linkage between cause and effect as regards acts of terrorism in the region has been exceptionally limited.

Indeed, if anything, few U.S. officials have been bold enough to state publicly that there is a need to reassess, let alone repair in any fundamental way, the substantive content of any U.S. policies towards Arabs, Middle Easterners, or Muslims. Indeed, many officials would have Americans believe that this is because, with regard to the Arab-Israeli conflict in particular, there is nothing wrong with U.S. policies.

A Congressional Perspective

One Congressional leader could hardly have been clearer on this point. In remarks made to this writer, whom the leader called to consult after the September 11 terrorist attacks against the United States, he said, "At most, we are going to put all our energies and efforts into finding a way to get our message across better.

"We are not going to deal with the substance of the policy. That's just [no reverse pun intended] reality - it's not going to happen, not in a thousand years. We're looking for technical ways to fix the format of expressing who we are and what we stand for." [Author's italics].

III. On Alleged Saudi Funding for Terrorism

…The Kingdom's Position

Crown Prince Abdullah has stated unequivocally, "No honorable person would accept terrorism." Countless Saudi Arabian officials have spoken for the record in stating that the Kingdom does not support or contribute to terrorism, adding that it never has, and never will.

A common refrain by one official after another has been that, "terrorism is against our religion and culture, and we have been victims of it for the past four decades." Officials also continue to miss no opportunity to point out that all financial transactions are monitored to ensure that no money goes to "evildoers."

The U.S. Treasury Secretary, the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, and other key U.S. officials have publicly said that Saudi Arabia has frozen assets and cooperated fully in this matter.

…And the Documentation of American Positions and Statements

"The Secretary [of State] indicated way back on November 7th that Saudi Arabia has been prominent among the countries acting against the accounts of terrorist organizations, and like so many other countries taking action in compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1333,"

Source: Philip Reeker, Deputy Spokesman, U.S. Department of State, State Department News Briefing, December 3, 2001

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"Saudi Arabia has been prominent among the countries acting against the accounts of terrorist organizations … and I am delighted that Saudi Arabia … has just ratified [the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism]."

Source: Colin Powell, Secretary of State, November 7, 2001

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"Al-Qaeda is directed first and foremost at the overthrow of the Saudi monarchy …You can be [damn] sure that any Al-Qaeda operative is on the Saudi wanted list and that any senior operative is high on that list."

Source: Chas W. Freeman, former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, as quoted in Peter Stone, "The Saudi Problem," National Journal, October 6, 2001.

* * *

A little more than a month ago, the White House addressed the issue of financing terrorists.

"I've got a very good relationship with Crown Prince Abdallah. He has assured me that the Saudi government would do everything they can to disrupt finances headed towards terrorists."

Source: President George W. Bush, December 13, 2002

IV. On Saudi Arabia's Freezing of Assets

…The Kingdom's Position

Saudi Arabia has been at the forefront of international efforts in fighting terrorism and in the increasingly global attempts to combat money-laundering activities. The Kingdom has joined Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors from the G-20 countries in order to develop an aggressive action plan directed at the routing out and freezing of terrorist assets worldwide.

The President of the United States and the Department of State have continuously said that Saudi Arabia's cooperation on the financial front has been excellent and that there is nothing that the U.S. has asked for that it has not gotten from Saudi Arabia.

…And the Documentation of American Positions and Statements

"…We understand that the Saudi Central bank has issued instructions to banks in Saudi Arabia to look for and freeze accounts listed by the U.N. Security Council Sanctions Committee, and we remain very pleased with the cooperation and work we have had together with the Saudis on this matter."

Source: Philip Reeker, Deputy Spokesman, U.S. Department of State, State Department News Briefing, December 3, 2001

* * *

"Saudi Arabia has been prominent among the countries acting against the accounts of terrorist organizations. Like many countries, they are taking actions in compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1333, which calls on all UN members to freeze accounts listed by the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee that are linked to the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization, or to the Taliban."

Source: Richard Boucher, Spokesman, U.S. Department of State, State Department Press Conference, November 27, 2001.

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"Saudi Arabia has been helpful across the board in areas dealing with financing [and] the President is very pleased with the cooperation of the Saudi government."

Source: Ari Fleischer, White House Press Secretary, White House Press Briefing, November 19, 2001.

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"We are pleased with the continued cooperation that we have received and continue to receive from the Government of Saudi Arabia in the global war on terrorism. We believe that such improved oversight of financial transfers, as announced and discussed today by the Saudis, is essential to reduce and impede financial support for terrorism originating in Saudi Arabia."

Source: Department of State Spokesman Richard Boucher, December 3, 2002

Author's comment: One of the inevitable but unfortunate byproducts resulting from the freezing of various charitable accounts has been the mirror image of the saying, "Be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water."

That is, in several instances, the act of freezing entire charities' funds in the course of plugging the holes here and there through which moneys did find their way to terrorist groups has not been without severe unintentional damage. The victims: countless innocents and people who live in exceptionally dire circumstances requiring humanitarian assistance.

Unintended Victims

The conduits through which varying amounts of charitable contributions were being siphoned surreptitiously to "evildoers" are both less and more than they may seem at first glance. For example, these are the same conduits through which badly needed life-sustaining assistance has lessened the humanitarian plight of countless other victims of war and the brutalities that accompany any foreign military occupation.

Indeed, it was through many of these conduits, until the freezing of funds in such charities, that a range of life-sustaining support was reaching the most destitute of the poor and downtrodden. Included were no end of widows, orphans, and many thousands of handicapped children in such places as Bosnia, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Chechnya, Palestine, and Lebanon.

An Arab colleague friend of one of the increasing number of Muslim philanthropists affected by the freezing of charitable accounts, put it to me this way. "My charitable friend is devastated by what has happened.

"It is true that some of the funds he directed to charitable purposes ended up where they were not supposed to go. The amount was but a tiny fraction of the total, so tiny that neither he nor the charity's auditors detected it until quite recently. Yet the charity's entire funds now stand frozen, for how long, no one knows."

Unintended Consequences

"I know for a fact that he has for years been helping some 80 people who have no other form of support but his generosity upon which to live. One of the people on his staff was a Palestinian, who it turns out, when my friend and our government looked into the matter, was discovered to have channeled some of the money raised by the charity to people associated with Hamas.

"But this particular individual was only one person among the 80 being assisted. No one had reason to suspect him of anything; indeed, he was the only one to have engaged in any wrongdoing.

"As a result of the entire charity's funds being frozen, now no one is being helped. And my friend's story is not unique. Others, too, are finding out what you Americans say about 'a single bad apple spoils the entire barrel'.

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V. On Saudi Arabian Support for Osama bin Laden

The Kingdom's Position …

…is that Osama bin Laden is a dissenter who has taken the side of evil. His citizenship was revoked in the early 1990s on account of his irresponsible acts. Many Saudi Arabian officials have repeatedly stated that they are horrified by his actions, and that they abhor what he and his followers stand for. These Saudi Arabians regard Bin Laden and his followers as deviants whose criminal actions they strongly reject. They hope that people will understand that we are also victims of Osama bin Laden's terrorist acts.

…And the Documentation of an American Position,

"Osama bin Laden … will not rest until every Arab leader who is even moderately pro-American is displaced and killed, including the entire Saudi royal family …We must stand by our friends in the Middle East and show that we cannot be controlled by terrorists."

Source: Representative Brad Sherman (Democrat-California); Statement in the Congressional Record, H5922, September 21, 2001.

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"We have a good relationship with Saudi Arabia, and it's been mutually beneficial."

Source: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, November 4, 2002

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"Saudi Arabia has been indeed helpful. In fighting the financial war against terrorism, or helping arrest terrorists, on information sharing, Saudi Arabia has been a good partner. Saudi Arabia has been the subject of terrorist attacks, and Saudi Arabia has worked well with us …"

Source: Ari Fleischer, President George W. Bush's Press Spokesman, November 26, 2002

As Well as a Saudi Arabian Position,

"As a human community, we must be vigilant and careful to oppose these pernicious and shameless evils, which are not justified by any sane logic, nor by the religion of Islam."

Source: Shaikh Salih Al-Luhaydan, Chairman, Supreme Judicial Council

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And the Position of the Organization of the Islamic Conference [The 57 Islamic Countries' Largest International Institution].

"The cruel acts are rejected by all human principles and religions; moreover, Islam rejects the killing of innocent people."

Source: H.E. Dr. Abdalwahid Belkaziz, Secretary General, Organization of the Islamic Conference, Statement of September 14, 2001

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VI. On the Saudi Arabian Educational System and Anti-Americanism

The Kingdom's Position …

One Saudi Arabian official after another has stated that the Kingdom's educational system does not teach anti-American doctrines and hatred of the West. "Over the past sixty years, tens of thousands of Americans have lived in Saudi Arabia among the country's citizenry."

"Islam teaches peace, amicability, and tolerance, not violence and hatred. As Saudi Arabians and Muslims, we wish to establish friendly relations that serve mutual interests in all spheres.

"The involvement of the Kingdom's citizens in the September 11 acts of terrorism was shocking to almost all Saudi Arabians. It is important to understand that these individuals were deviants and criminals. They do not represent the people of Saudi Arabia or Islam any more than [The late Rev.] Jim Jones or Branch Davidians represent America or Christianity."

In a meeting with this author in September 2002, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal addressed the status of efforts underway to enhance the quality of the Kingdom's educational system with particular reference to the curricula as well as the quality of teachers. "As a result of a comprehensive survey of the system," he said, "we concluded that 85% of the curricula is beyond reproach, we had questions of about ten percent, and five per cent was unacceptable. We are correcting the last fifteen per cent."

…And Documentation of Saudi Arabian Positions and Statements

"Any attack on innocent people is unlawful and contrary to Shar'iah [Islamic law]. Muslims must safeguard the lives, honor, and property of non-Muslims, who are under their protection and with whom they have concluded peace agreements. Attacking them contradicts Shar'iah."

Source: Shaikh Muhammad bin Abdallah Al-Subail, Imam of the Grand Mosque of Makkah and Member of the Council of Senior Islamic Scholars, December 4, 2001

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"The recent developments in the United States constitute a form of injustice that is not tolerated by Islam, which views them as gross crimes and sinful acts."

Source: Shaikh 'Abdalaziz Ahl Al-Shaikh, Chairman, Council of Senior Islamic Scholars

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Note: For a previous Forum report by the author on Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Abdallah's peace initiative, in which all 22 League of Arab States members agreed to normalize relations with Israel in exchange for full Israel withdrawal from Palestinian and Syrian territories occupied since the June 1967 war, see Saudi-American Forum Essay #2 of December 10, 2002. 
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