ال سعود يتذللون للامريكان ويتبراون من بن لادن ويشبهونه باشنع العنصريين البيض

[خبيب]

هذا المقال بالانجليزية كرمى عيون ال سعود. اخزى الله المنافقين.

نقلا عن جريدة بورتلاند بريس هيرالد طبعة اليوم


By MATT WICKENHEISER, Portland Press Herald Writer

Copyright 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.







A high-ranking Saudi Arabian official visited Portland on Monday, working to
repair the post-Sept. 11 image of his country with examples of how it has
changed and how it cooperates with the United States.

Saudi Arabia has been a U.S. ally for about 70 years, Adel Al-Jubeir said,
and his country was in shock when it learned that 15 of the 19 Sept. 11
hijackers were Saudis. After shock came denial, he said, and then introspection
as the country began to look at conditions that allowed al-Qaida to recruit
Saudis for the suicide missions.

"We decided we were going to deal with the issues at hand," said Al-Jubeir.

Al-Jubeir is the foreign affairs adviser to the crown prince of Saudi Arabia,
approximately the equivalent of national security adviser Condoleeza Rice in the
United States. He spoke to more than 100 people at a luncheon sponsored by the
Portland Regional Chamber and the World Affairs Council of Maine, and also met
with the editorial board of the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram.

Al-Jubeir said Saudi Arabia has taken these actions to address terrorism
since the Sept. 11 attacks:

Audited and regulated charities in the country, and frozen charities
operating outside its borders.

Tightened banking controls.

Looked at how mosques are run in the country, resulting in the dismissal of
2,000 imams (Muslim prayer leaders) who were "inciteful."

Set up a training program from imams, as well as civics and anti-terrorism
lessons in schools.

Arrested over 600 terrorists.

Started setting up elections for municipal posts.

"When you look at the sum total of what we have done in Saudi Arabia, it's a
veritable revolution," said Al-Jubeir.

On the economic side, Saudi Arabia is working to encourage free enterprise by privatizing some industries, starting an agency similar to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and opening up the energy sector for investment. The
hope is that by improving the economic status of Saudis in different parts of society, it will be difficult for terrorist groups to find disgruntled converts.

"We're unleashing economic activity. Prosperity means jobs, prosperity means making it impossible to recruit from our people," he said. "We are on the path of this reform effort, and there is no going back."

Although Saudi Arabia thought the United States should wait for more international consensus before attacking Iraq, the kingdom was there to help its American ally once the decision was made, Al-Jubeir said. He said the Saudis gave the United States access to its military bases, provided free fuel and stocked huge reserves of oil to mitigate any pre-war price spikes.

Saudi Arabia has been mostly quiet about its efforts, he said, because the government didn't want to upset its people, who have doubts about the U.S. action in Iraq. "When the history of this conflict is written, I think Saudi Arabia's role will be written in golden letters," he said.

A big problem for the Saudis has been the increased difficulty in getting visas to travel to America, giving them the impression they were not wanted.

Traditionally, Saudis could travel to the United States in droves for business, vacation, schooling and medical treatment, but that traffic is down 70 percent, said Al-Jubeir. American medical centers have lost roughly $1 billion in revenue from a drop in patients from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates, he said.

At the luncheon, Al-Jubeir was asked about the Saudi government's support of the strict Wahhabi sect. He answered that critics of Wahhabism have misinterpreted what was written by the religious scholar Abdul-Wahhab. Rather than preach violence and intolerance, he said, the teachings contain thoughts about including rights for women and tolerance for others, and they also attack
the concept of martyrs.

Rosalyne Bernstein, of the World Affairs Council of Maine, questioned why Saudi Arabia had supported every anti-Israel resolution that had come forward.

Al-Jubeir said his country has supported every peace agreement between the Palestinians and Israelis, and he urged the audience to check the facts about claims made by critics of Saudi Arabia.

"If a quarter of the things we're accused of were true, I wouldn't want to be a Saudi, and my family goes back 2,000 years," he said.

Al-Jubeir said Saudi Arabia is made up of individuals, just like any country. There are extremists in any religion, he said, but an entire faith can't be judged by a small group of individuals.

"Osama bin Laden is as much a Muslim as Jim Jones and the (Ku Klux Klan) are Christian," he said.