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Saudis React with Fury to American Accusations of Funding al-Qaida
Thursday, November 28, 2002
By Brian Whitaker
The Guardian

"We tell them the problem and leave it to them to solve, presuming they will act in good faith. But if they do not act in 90 days, we assume solving the problem is beyond their ken and the United States will solve it," the official was quoted as saying.

CAIRO -- The Guardian
A row between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia over the funding of terrorism turned into a no-holds-barred battle yesterday, when the kingdom unleashed the fury of its normally state-restrained media against Washington.

The flare-up began with allegations that thousands of dollars in charitable gifts from princess Haifa bint Faisal -- wife of the Saudi ambassador in Washington -- had found their way to friends of two of the September 11 hijackers.

Although there is no evidence that the princess knew where the money had gone (Arab News), Riyadh views the affair as part of a campaign led by American neo-conservatives to implicate prominent Saudis in the financing of al-Qaida.

An attempt at a placatory statement by White House spokesman Ari Fleischer -- that "Saudi Arabia is a good partner in the war against terrorism but can do more" -- only fuelled the Saudi anger.
(More: Guardian.co.uk News Source)
2002 © Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers, Limited.

Dan