SECRETARY POWELL: ....I had conversations with the Saudi Foreign Minister when he was here yesterday, and I was in the meeting with the President, and we expressed our appreciation for all that Saudi Arabia has been doing in the global war against terrorism, especially over the last month or two, where they really have been rounding up cells, they have been finding individuals within the Kingdom who meant to injure the Kingdom and meant to see what they could do to attack us as well. So we complimented the Saudis on what they had been doing recently.

With respect to the report that is in the paper, the Saudis pressed hard to release the redacted or the blacked-out portions of the report because they believe they have done nothing to warrant the insinuations and suggestions that are in the media about the whole blacked-out section relating to bad behavior on the part of the Saudis. The Saudis would like to see it in the open because they think it will show that the Saudis have been cooperating with us.

We had to make the point back to them, however, that because of sources and methods and investigations that are underway, that part of the report has to remain redacted or blacked out.

Source: US State Dept.

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"I vow to my fellow citizens and to the friends who reside among us, that the State will be vigilant about their security and well-being.  Our nation is capable, by the Grace of God Almighty and the unity of its citizens, to confront and destroy the threat posed by a deviant few and those who endorse or support them.  With the help of God Almighty, we shall prevail."

- Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard
May 13, 2003

Actions to Counter Terrorism

From September 2001 to May 2003:

• More than 300 terrorist suspects were arrested.

• About 100 suspects were referred to the courts to stand trial.

• Over 1,000 suspects were questioned.

Since May 2003:

• Over 130 individuals with suspected ties to terrorism have been arrested.

• Over the course of the arrests security officers also seized large quantities of high explosives, automatic rifles, bomb-making materials and devices, false identity cards and documents, and large amounts of cash.

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Look Who's Talking...  The Saudi-US Relations Information Service web site features a discussion forum for you to post your ideas, opinions and questions.  To sign on and speak up Click Here.   Among the posts in current threads:

"The new media's hostility to the KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] is truly based on a misperception of the role played by the KSA in the events of September 11. The major voices in the new media do not harbor any ideological opposition to the Kingdom or its society. In fact, if the facts about the Kingdom and its historical relations with the United States were better known it is quite likely that the view of the Kingdom in these circles would be much more positive. This is especially true as the Kingdom undergoes political reform."

Sign up for the forum and contribute to the dialogue.

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ON THE BOOKSHELF

Out in the Blue: Letters from Arabia 1937-1940 by Thomas C. Barger, Timothy J. Barger

Book Description (Amazon.com) Book Description Out in the Blue is Tom Barger's story of his first three years exploring the deserts of early Saudi Arabia for an embryonic oil company that had yet to discover oil. In his travels he visited ancient places that have now all but disappeared and met Bedouin living a pre-Biblical nomadic life that was soon to irrevocably change in the face of modernization. Told through the letters he wrote home to his young bride of only two weeks before he left for the Kingdom, Out in the Blue is the story of Saudi Arabia before there was oil. About the Author Tom Barger went to Saudia Arabia in 1937 as a junior field geologist. He spent 32 years in the country and retired in 1969 as the Chairman of the Board of Aramco, the largest independent oil producing company in the world. After retirement he served as a policy advisor to the US government and as a board member of several major corporations. He also lectured frequently on the subject of Middle Eastern policy and wrote articles and books on Middle Eastern energy and politics, including - Energy Policies of the World: Arab States of the Persian Gulf.                                                                                                 [more] Ordering Information                                                                                                 Back to top