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Powell Troubled By Saudi Fundraising 1 Day Before Abdullah Meets Bush
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Powell
said he was “troubled” by Saudi aid going to Palestinian
victims of Israeli military aggression |
WASHINGTON,
April 25 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – U.S. Secretary of State
Colin Powell
said Wednesday, April 24, that he was troubled by some aspects of a
telethon held on Saudi state television which raised 150 million
dollars for the Palestinians. This comes just one day before Saudi
Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz meets with U.S. President George
W. Bush in Texas to discuss the situation in the Middle East.
Powell
expressed concern that some of the money could find its way into the
coffers of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, which the United
States has placed on a list of so-called “terrorist”
organizations, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
He
added that he would bring up the issue during talks in Crawford, Texas
on Thursday, April 25, between Bush and Prince Abdullah.
"We
have seen some indications, and I've even seen an Arab newspaper,
handed to me by Chairman Arafat, I might add, where some of the money,
at least according to this Arab newspaper advertisement, would be
going to elements of Hamas," Powell
claimed.
He
added in testimony to the Senate appropriations committee on foreign
operations, that there were some "troubling aspects as to how
that telethon money would be distributed."
The
telethon was sponsored by the Saudi Committee for Support of the
Al-Aqsa intifada chaired by Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin
Abdul Aziz.
King
Fahd had ordered urgent medical and food relief aid to the
Palestinians, and Prince Nayef sent some 800,000 dollars to the
families of "155 Palestinian martyrs" killed in the massive
Israeli military offensive on West Bank towns which began on March 29.
The
response to calls for aid was overwhelming, attracting not only
members of the royal family, businessmen and clerics, but women,
children, and even poorly-paid domestic helpers.
Saudi
Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal denied that the funds would help
resistance bombers, telling CNN: "The telethon was a telethon to
help the Palestinian people who have been massacred" in Israeli
offensives.
Prince
Abdullah was expected to warn that Bush's steadfast support for Israel
is costing Washington support in the Arab world, and to urge a more
balanced approach.
Al-Faisal
said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon must end his forces' siege of
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Ramallah compound before any peace
talks can resume.
"Mr
Sharon always says that he cannot negotiate with a gun pointed at his
head. Why does he expect that the other side can negotiate with a gun
pointed at their heads? There has to be withdrawal, there has to be
freedom of movement for Yasser Arafat, for any negotiations to
happen," he said.
In
addition to Powell, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney was to take part
in Thursday's encounter, which was also expected to focus on the
so-called "war on terrorism" and its likely next major
target: Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
"The
president has made clear that Saddam Hussein is a problem, the status
quo isn't acceptable. Sure, he's going to want to talk to the Crown
Prince about that," said a senior administration official who
declined to be named.
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