Return to Transcripts main page
Live From...
Saudi Arabia Responds to Criticism
Aired December 03, 2002 - 13:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Moving on now, a top Saudi official fired back today as his government has come under critical fire. He said the Saudis are committed to the war on terrorism, and charges to the contrary amount to a feeding frenzy. Well, the Bush administration has defended the Saudis since the attacks of September 11, others have questioned whether that powerful Arab kingdom is truly America's friend.
CNN's Andrea Koppel is standing by at the State Department to tell us about the Saudi Defense -- Andrea.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Martin, today the chief foreign policy adviser to the Saudi crown prince, Abdullah, Adel al-Jubeir, took to the stadium -- or to the podium, if you will, and presented a nine-page report which lays out what he says are the various steps at the Saudi kingdom has taken to crack down on any kind of charitable contributions that might have gone to support terrorist organizations around the world. Adel al-Jubeir saying that this is really the point, that there are all kinds of reports and rumors that have been out there since September 11. Most recently, just last week, the Saudi ambassador to Washington and his wife were accused in -- by anonymous U.S. officials of having inadvertently perhaps given money to a charitable organization that ended up giving money to two of the 9/11 hijackers.
Adel al-Jubeir saying that the Saudis are guilty as charged before they have an opportunity to respond. They, of course, have denied any connection to a terrorist organization, or that the Saudi ambassador and his wife supported them. Nevertheless, Adel al-Jubeir trying to really shake up the American community and the Bush administration at large to say, listen to us, we really are trying to crack down on terrorism, and also pointing out, as he put it, that it is no accident that Osama bin Laden selected 15 out of 19 hijackers as Saudi citizens.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADEL AL-JUBEIR, SAUDI GOVERNMENT ADVISER: He chose Saudis. Why did he do it? In order to give this operation a Saudi face and create doubt in the minds of Americans about Saudi Arabia and drive a wedge between our two countries. And you know what, I think he almost succeeded. And the irony of it is, those who are most critical or hostile towards Saudi Arabia in the United States are playing right into his hands. Bin Laden, if he's dead is laughing at them from his grave, if he is alive and sitting in a cave, he is doing the same thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOPPEL: Adel al-Jubeir also saying that the Saudis intend to try to work more closely with the Bush administration.
There are a number of different departments, everything from Treasury to the White House to the FBI that they have to deal with, hoping to create some sort of a clearing house, one kind of coordinator to deal with all of the terrorist-related questions and, as the Saudis put into practice, various control mechanisms on charitable contributions -- Marty.
SAVIDGE: Andrea, Turkey al-Faisal, he is the new Saudi ambassador to Great Britain. A controversy about him. What is it?
KOPPEL: Right. Prince Turkey is the former Saudi intelligence chief. He just retired last year, and the Saudis have now confirmed that he is going to be the next British ambassador. The controversy surrounds the fact that he is also named as one of the prime defendants in a lawsuit, a $1 trillion lawsuit brought by approximately 3,000 family members and survivors of the 9/11 attacks. Now, one of the attorneys for these family members says that now that Prince Turkey has been named ambassador to Britain, he will have diplomatic immunity, and therefore will most likely would not be able to be charged in an American court -- or at least appear in an American courtroom -- Marty.
SAVIDGE: An interesting twist. Andrea Koppel at the State Department, thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 3, 2002 - 13:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Moving on now, a top Saudi official fired back today as his government has come under critical fire. He said the Saudis are committed to the war on terrorism, and charges to the contrary amount to a feeding frenzy. Well, the Bush administration has defended the Saudis since the attacks of September 11, others have questioned whether that powerful Arab kingdom is truly America's friend.
CNN's Andrea Koppel is standing by at the State Department to tell us about the Saudi Defense -- Andrea.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Martin, today the chief foreign policy adviser to the Saudi crown prince, Abdullah, Adel al-Jubeir, took to the stadium -- or to the podium, if you will, and presented a nine-page report which lays out what he says are the various steps at the Saudi kingdom has taken to crack down on any kind of charitable contributions that might have gone to support terrorist organizations around the world. Adel al-Jubeir saying that this is really the point, that there are all kinds of reports and rumors that have been out there since September 11. Most recently, just last week, the Saudi ambassador to Washington and his wife were accused in -- by anonymous U.S. officials of having inadvertently perhaps given money to a charitable organization that ended up giving money to two of the 9/11 hijackers.
Adel al-Jubeir saying that the Saudis are guilty as charged before they have an opportunity to respond. They, of course, have denied any connection to a terrorist organization, or that the Saudi ambassador and his wife supported them. Nevertheless, Adel al-Jubeir trying to really shake up the American community and the Bush administration at large to say, listen to us, we really are trying to crack down on terrorism, and also pointing out, as he put it, that it is no accident that Osama bin Laden selected 15 out of 19 hijackers as Saudi citizens.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADEL AL-JUBEIR, SAUDI GOVERNMENT ADVISER: He chose Saudis. Why did he do it? In order to give this operation a Saudi face and create doubt in the minds of Americans about Saudi Arabia and drive a wedge between our two countries. And you know what, I think he almost succeeded. And the irony of it is, those who are most critical or hostile towards Saudi Arabia in the United States are playing right into his hands. Bin Laden, if he's dead is laughing at them from his grave, if he is alive and sitting in a cave, he is doing the same thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOPPEL: Adel al-Jubeir also saying that the Saudis intend to try to work more closely with the Bush administration.
There are a number of different departments, everything from Treasury to the White House to the FBI that they have to deal with, hoping to create some sort of a clearing house, one kind of coordinator to deal with all of the terrorist-related questions and, as the Saudis put into practice, various control mechanisms on charitable contributions -- Marty.
SAVIDGE: Andrea, Turkey al-Faisal, he is the new Saudi ambassador to Great Britain. A controversy about him. What is it?
KOPPEL: Right. Prince Turkey is the former Saudi intelligence chief. He just retired last year, and the Saudis have now confirmed that he is going to be the next British ambassador. The controversy surrounds the fact that he is also named as one of the prime defendants in a lawsuit, a $1 trillion lawsuit brought by approximately 3,000 family members and survivors of the 9/11 attacks. Now, one of the attorneys for these family members says that now that Prince Turkey has been named ambassador to Britain, he will have diplomatic immunity, and therefore will most likely would not be able to be charged in an American court -- or at least appear in an American courtroom -- Marty.
SAVIDGE: An interesting twist. Andrea Koppel at the State Department, thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
