Powell, Rice urge Saudi Arabia for more efforts to fight terrorism; Saudi Arabia denies finding a murdered man to the west of al-Riyadh
Saudi Arabia-USA, Politics, 6/14/2004

A senior official in the Saudi police denied news of finding in one street of the capital Riyadh of the body of a man, diplomatic sources said earlier on Sunday to be for a western citizen.

The Saudi official news agency quoted the director of Riyadh district area as saying that "news quoted by certain news agency and media on finding the body of a man carrying the western nationality in one of Riyadh street are baseless." However, Saudi security and diplomatic sources announced finding this body near the building of the Saudi national guard. These sources did not confirm if the body is for an American citizen. A statement attributed to al-Qaida organization in Saudi Arabia on the Internet said that he was kidnapped on Saturday and that another one was killed.

A western diplomat asked to be anonymous said that there are reports of finding the body of a third man but not the American who was killed on Saturday and the expected kidnapped American and might not be American.

Security sources said that the Saudi and American authorities are working closely to find the place of the kidnapped American engineer.

This came after the statement attributed to al-Qaida announced that it reserves " legal right" in treating the kidnapped American in a way that revenges what the Americans had done in Guantanamu and Abu Ghreib prisons.

On the other hand, the US on Sunday expressed its concern over the development of the situation in Saudi Arabia, calling on Riyadh's authorities to enhance fighting terrorist organizations and proposing greater support for the kingdom.

The US secretary of state Colin Powell who talked to three American TV stations on Sunday urged the Saudis to exert more efforts to fighting terrorism through enhancing police and military means as well as to take measures that cut financing terrorist networks.

For her part, the advisor of the US President for national security Condoleezza Rice said in a statement to the CNN that it is clear that al-Qaida wants to strike strongly in Saudi Arabia, admitting simultaneously that this organization constitutes a greave danger to this country.

Rice commended cooperation with Riyadh considering that " the Saudis like others in the world did not assess perfectly that organizations -- most of them carry charity names -- as a cover to finance terrorism," noting that the Saudis:" achieved a great progress in recent months."

Previous Stories:
  Bandar: persons who abused the Iraqis do not represent the American people   (5/14/2004)
  Washington withdraws some of its diplomats from Riyadh; Kuwait tightens security measures because of conditions in Iraq , Saudi Arabia   (4/17/2004)
  Washington urges its citizens to leave Saudi Arabia   (4/16/2004)

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