New American ambassador arrives in Saudi Arabia

The new American ambassador James O Brighter arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He is expected to submit his credentials to the Saudi sides concerned immediately after the end of Eid al-Adha holiday vacation.

The American embassy in Riyadh said that O Brighter will submit his credentials to the Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal after Eid al-Adha vacation and later to King Fahd.

The new American ambassador in Saudi Arabia is an important figure in the oil industry lobby group in Texas, and very close to the family of the US President George W. Bush. O Brighter's appointment comes a time when relations between the US and Saudi Arabia are passing a sensitive phase under the US Congress accusations of the Kingdom that it is not fighting enough what American calls Islamic extremism, and does not support the US in its war against "terrorism."

The former American ambassador in Saudi Arabia Robert Jordan ended his mission in October 2003 for personal reasons.