Riyadh inspects charity funding: We delivered Washington an investigation on Princess Haifa's donations
Saudi Arabia, Politics, 11/26/2002

Saudi Arabia has taken two remarkable steps to contain "the attack" it feels is being carried against it from inside the US. It announced it had delivered the American authorities the results of an investigation made on the financial donations carried out by the daughter of the former Saudi King Faisal, princess Haifa, the wife of the Saudi Ambassador to Washington, Prince Bander Bin Sultan, at a time when Riyadh launched deepened investigations on the activities of all charity organizations in the kingdom.

While the White House had announced that President George Bush still considers Saudi Arabia as "good partner" in the war against terrorism, despite what had been raised of issues in the Congress and certain American media on the link between official Saudi money to al-Qaida organization and the attack of September 11. Adel al-Jubeir, the advisor for the Saudi crown prince Abdullah continued his statements addressed to the American media to end what the "attack" on the future of the American- Saudi relations, especially as such an "attack" is starting to touch the ruling al-Saud family.

Al-Jubeir said that Saudi Arabia has launched deepened investigations on the activities of all charity societies in the Kingdom. He added in a televised statement to the NBC from Riyadh that "we are making investigation on the funds of all charity societies." He indicated that monitoring measures have been embarked on tracing back the funds provided to the charity societies.

There are 241 officially registered charity society in Saudi Arabia and they raised in 2001 some 320 million dollars and spent 260 million.

Several times, the US has expressed also its regret over the donation and aid given by Saudi citizens to help the Palestinian Intifada and people, and asked for depriving the Palestinians from this aid.

This new American campaign against Saudi Arabia came after the American media had quoted investigators at the FBI linking between money paid by Princess Haifa to needy Saudis living in the USA, where some of them were found later to have had relations with two executors of the September 11 attacks. Despite the fact that the princess' donations did not go directly to the accused individuals, however, some Congress members considered these funds as financing for terrorism. One of the republican Congressmen Richard Shalbi, member in the intelligence committee at the Senate, said the US has to trace back the source of funds wherever the search will lead, even if this goes all the way to the level of the Royal family ( in Saudi Arabia ).

Princess Haifa al-Faisal the wife of the ambassador Bander Bin Sultan, is the daughter of the former King Faisal. She has three brothers including the former chairman of the Saudi intelligence prince Turkey al-Faisal.

Al-Jubeir stressed that princess Haifa did not know that the money she had given to a Saudi citizen woman, who lives in the US was close to the highjackers. He said it is mad to say that princess Haifa, the mother and the grandmother, whose father was killed by a terrorist will pay a bank Checque for persons that will give it to terrorists."

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