US calls Saudi Arabia for more measures to stop financing terrorism
Saudi Arabia-USA, Politics, 7/15/2005

The US said that the Middle East countries have to exert more efforts in order to fight what it called financing terrorism and warned it will push these countries to rake measures to this effect unless these countries will do that by themselves spontaneously.

The secretary of the US treasury department for terrorism affairs and financial intelligence, Stewart Levy, notified the banking committee which affiliates the senate that the way is long for the US "in the battle against financing terrorism in the Middle East."

In a clear warning he added "in areas where the danger of terrorism does not provoke enough driving force to taking an effective measure, my office will seek to take a measure by working closely with all our counterparts." Earlier American measures used diplomatic pressure in addition to economic sanctions including freezing of assets.

Though he admitted that progress was attained in the region including adoption of laws for fighting money laundry, yet he demanded " more evidences that the results if such steps to appear actually." The American official talked about shortage in performance in Saudi Arabia and Syria. Concerning Saudi Arabia, the American official said that the US places pressure and collaborates with Saudi Arabia from where most of the executors of September 11 attacks came in order to force it to abide by rules. He added "until today we consider that Saudi donors are still an important source for financing terrorism, including the rebellion in Iraq." However, Levy's statements are in contradiction with other members in the administration of the US President George W. Bush in which they stressed that Saudi Arabia achieved a great progress in blocking financing of "terrorist groups" by private donations.

The attention of the American officials is directed to the activities of three Saudi charity societies working all over the world: the International Islamic relief organization; the international Young Muslim society, and the Islamic world league. Saudi Arabia has formed a committee supervising charity societies' activities and ordered halting donations in mosques and trade centers.

Concerning Syria, Levy accused it of continuing interference "in the Lebanese affairs." He said " Syria was a source and a crossing of money for the fighters in Iraq and permitted "terrorist groups" to flourish on its lands. The US imposed several sanctions on Syria and froze the assets of many of its citizens including its minister of the interior Ghazi Kanaan as part of the pressure it made to make the change it wants from Damascus.

Previous Stories:
  Saudi government urged to oversee charitable group activities   (7/14/2005)
  Saudi sources deny resignation of Prince Bandar   (6/28/2005)
  On the three Saudi reformers imprisonment   (6/22/2005)

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