Washington expects attacks on Saudi Arabia air targets
Saudi Arabia-USA, Politics, 10/29/2003

The US announced yesterday that it has confirmed information on the possibility of the occurrence of terrorist attacks including air (plane) targets and other western objectives in Saudi Arabia and recommended its citizens to postpone traveling to the Kingdom unless it is necessary.

On the other hand, statistics at the US justice department indicated that Saudi Arabia spent 17.6 million dollars on public relations and advertising in a campaign in effect in the USA since the September 11, 2001 attacks in the USA in the hope to convince the Americans that Saudi Arabia is fighting terrorism.

The Saudi advertising described Saudi Arabia on CNN, MSNBC and Fox and others since May 2002 as a modern country allied in the American war against terrorism.

During the two past weeks, the American TV channels broadcast some 1541 prepaid Saudi advertisement and most of the Saudi money -- almost 16 million -- went to the TV station, radio and written advertisement, to impress, according to the Saudi official, on the American citizen that the Saudis are their allies in the war against terrorism.

The spokesman for the Saudi embassy in Washington Nael al-Jubeir said that the main objective of the campaign is to project the Saudi voice to the American people and to reply to the criticism which attacks the government, religion and culture in Saudi Arabia.

Meantime, a Saudi official played down the US warning of impending terrorist attacks and described it as an "exaggerated conservative measure." He said that the Saudi authorities will continue foiling any terrorist attacks.

Earlier, the American embassy in Riyadh warned its citizens against the possibility of attacks in the Kingdom during the holy month of Ramadan, but this new warning is the first which urges for not traveling to Saudi Arabia.

On the other hand, the chairman of the Saudi civil aviation commission, Abdullah Ruheimi, told the Saudi daily al-Madina that the Kingdom intends to privatize its international and regional airports.

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