|
Saudi Crown Prince Says Bush Regrets U.S. Media Criticism Of Riyadh
RIYADH, Nov 5 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - U.S. President George W. Bush has expressed regret over the media campaign against Saudi Arabia and promised to investigate the matter, Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz was quoted as saying Monday.
"I wanted to write to President Bush and tell him that some [American] newspapers wrote improperly about the kingdom," the Saudi crown prince told a gathering of education officials, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
"But he phoned me first and immediately said he was sorry," Abdullah said. "I asked what for, and he said for the press reports which drive a wedge between Saudi Arabia and America and distort the image of the kingdom."
"This is something I will not accept, and the majority of the American people will not accept," Prince Abdullah quoted Bush as telling him, AFP reported. "I told the president that the papers had cited [U.S.] officials [as criticizing Saudi Arabia], and Bush said he was aware of that."
According to the crown prince, Bush said he was trying to find out who these officials were and promised to take action when he does.
Saudi Arabia has come under strong criticism in the U.S. media and has been accused of not doing enough to crack down on terrorism and help the U.S.-led anti-terror campaign.
Crown Prince Abdullah said anti-Saudi reports in the U.S. media were motivated by certain quarters.
"Newspapers which criticized the kingdom are driven by people you know, and are aware who stands behind them ... God willing these will be defeated," he said.
The crown prince said last month that Western media reports hostile to Saudi Arabia reflected a "hidden hatred of Islam and Muslims."
Saudi Arabia, the United States' main ally in the strategic Gulf region, has strongly condemned the deadly September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.
Meanwhile, Saudi newspapers lashed out Sunday at Washington's Middle East policy. This followed the addition of Palestinian resistance groups to the State Department's list of terrorist organizations and after a high-ranking Bush administration official described the current Palestinian Intifada as terrorism.
"The most dangerous aspect of this ... is that Israel would consider it as a green light to continue its bloody policy against the Palestinian people,"
Al-Jazirah Saudi newspaper said in an editorial.
The United States on Friday added 22 more groups to its list of alleged terrorist organizations and individuals. The list includes several Palestinian groups active in the Intifada against illegal Israeli occupation, as well as Lebanon's Hizbollah.
|
