Ties between Saudi Arabia and the United States have emerged stronger from the shock of the September 11, 2001 attacks, a top aide of de facto ruler Crown Prince Abdullah said in an anniversary interview.
| Yeah, buddy! Now, honestly, what other country in the world can you think of that you like more than Soddy Arabia? |
The suicide hijackings by mainly Saudi nationals had "shaken" traditionally close relations, the prince's diplomatic advisor Adel al-Jubeir said in the interview published by the Saudi-owned daily Al-Hayat Saturday. But the two sides now approach their relations "more seriously" and with "greater transparency", leaving them "stronger and more solid," Jubeir told the London-based paper. "In the past, each side used the other without paying attention to its needs... We were complacent towards each other but now there is more obligingness, greater transparency in relations, a frankness between us."
| Frankly, I'm not impressed... |
| We've certainly been frank about pointing the finger at them ... |
Jubeir said the Saudi authorities' own battle with Islamic militancy over the past 18 months had helped the post-September 11 rapprochement. "Things have started to change, particularly since the Riyadh bombings (of 2003) which brought terrorism to the kingdom.
| "We were doing fine until the turbans turned on us. Now we're playing catchup, if we can't rebuild our accomodation with the mullahs..." |
"Government-to-government relations are very strong. There are no differences or underlying problems but instead common interests and cooperation in several fields." Jubeir said he hoped the strength of official ties would soon be reflected by a shift in US public opinion.
The Saudi embassy in Washington last week launched a radio advertising campaign in the United States in a bid to persuade Americans it does not have ties to terrorists. The ads aired in 19 of the largest US cities, including Washington, Boston, Chicago and Dallas. "The issue is to highlight the 9/11 commission, which exonerated Saudi Arabia - the government as well as senior officials - of funding terrorism," embassy spokesman Nail al-Jubeir said at the launch. "We wanted to make sure that people are aware of this." In one of the spots, Riyadh cites a passage from the 9/11 commission report - "We have found no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded the organization (Al Qaeda)."
"All the witnesses, as it turned out, were dead. Wotta coincidence!"
I'll be a lot more impressed when a see a row of pikes driven into the ground, each with an imam's head on it. Or when Prince Nayef goes for a drive in the country and somehow croaks from dehydration. |
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