Riyadh denies American jets to have chased al-Qaida members
Saudi Arabia-USA, Politics, 10/24/2002

A high ranking Saudi source yesterday denied what was stated by the New York Times on that American jets has searched in the Empty Quarter in the Saudi desert for al-Qaida organization members.

The source said that the Saudi security forces "do not permit any one to make a chase inside the Saudi territories." He added that " any sneaking operations taking place through the borders between Yemen and Saudi Arabia which extend until the Empty Quarter, are followed up by the Saudi security forces.

The same source ruled out that the "advisor of the Yemeni President Abdul Karim al-Eryani or any other Yemeni officials had talked about such a news which was published about this matter which pertains to Saudi Arabia." The said US daily said yesterday quoting Yemeni officials that it is suspected that al-Qaida members are moving between Yemen and the Saudi desert and they resort to the tribes in the area before heading to north Saudi Arabia to get money.

The paper quoted al-Eryani as saying in Sanaa that al-Qaida members move in a small truck with a simple tent, escorted by a Bedouin who knows the empty quarter by heart. By that, al-Eryani said al-Qaida members "avoid the government and the American planes."

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