Saudi Hits Back
from Gulf Daily News
Saudi Arabia yesterday dismissed a US claim that it was not doing enough to fight terrorism. Such public criticism does not tally with what US officials say in private, said Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal. "We hear every now and then that the kingdom does not do enough. But "when we meet with officials, they thank us for our efforts to combat terrorism. They describe the programme we are implementing as one of the most effective on the international scene to confront terrorism, be it on the security or material fronts." He was responding to a question about remarks by the US Treasury's top anti-terrorism official, Stuart Levey, who chided Saudi Arabia for not prosecuting the bankrollers of terrorist groups. The undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence told the US television network ABC that not a single individual identified by the US or the UN as a terror financier had been prosecuted by Saudi Arabia. "We are surprised, but we can only repeat that we are exerting every possible effort," Prince Saud said.