Saudi Arabia considers attack like US September 11 crisis; al-Faisal warns attackers
Saudi Arabia, Local, 5/15/2003

Saudi- American relations have been exposed to more pressure following the hard test it underwent as a result of the suicide explosions in Riyadh. The Kingdom was obliged to admit security gaps as the US ambassador Robert Jordan criticized the Saudi security measures, but threatened to make al-Qaida organization feels sorry for what it had done.

This, however, did not alleviate the position of the White House which called on the Saudis to move against the terrorists on the Saudi lands.

Suspects are on the cell of the Saudi Khaled al-Juhni in being responsible for the suicide attacks.

The Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said in a press conference it is "fate" that number of Saudis participating in the attacks of September 11, 2001 was 15 and the number of attackers in Riyadh aggression is also 15.

Al-Faisal said "we feel sympathy with each other" as Saudis and Americans because the two countries were attacked from the same side.

In an implicit answer to the American ambassador, al-Faisal admitted that there are gaps in the security measures taken, adding that one should learn from mistakes, but al-Faisal stressed he did not receive a request from the ambassador to strengthen the security measures. Concerning the participants in the attack, the Saudi minister said that " they will regret what they had done because they had made of this country one hand to extract this sick part out of the nation's body."

On the other hand, the Syrian official News agency said that President Bashar al-Assad sent yesterday a cable to the Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz in which the Syrian President expressed Syria's condemnation and denunciation of the "terrorist acts against the city of Riyadh." The cable stressed "Syria's stand in support of Saudi Arabia in its efforts to fighting these acts."

Previous Stories:
  London recommends its citizens not to head for Saudi Arabia   (5/14/2003)
  Son of Riyadh governor murdered in one of the explosion   (5/14/2003)
  American committee calls for blacklisting Saudi Arabia for religious repression   (5/14/2003)
  On the explosions in Riyadh   (5/14/2003)
  Upon Powell's arrival to Saudi Arabia, four explosions hit Riyadh, scores are victims   (5/13/2003)

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