RIYADH, October 13 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - In a respiratory measure, Saudi Arabia has adopted new restrictions, including finger-printing, for U.S. nationals entering the kingdom in response to similar measures introduced by the United States.

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdel Aziz told reporters Sunday, October 13, that "this measure, which includes finger-printing, came in line with the principle of reciprocity."

He also said Saudi Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs Prince Mohamad bin Nayef bin Abdel Aziz met officials in the United States last week "in an effort to assert the bilateral cooperation in the war against terrorism."

New stringent U.S. immigration checks on nationals from several Muslim countries went into effect October 1.

The measures, which require Saudi male visitors to the United States to undergo digital finger-printing and photographing, and to provide information on travel plans, has angered Saudis who decried it as discrimination.

On Wednesday, October 2, an Iranian government spokesman warned that the tough U.S. immigration checks on nationals from several Muslim countries will only inspire further anti-American sentiment.

"This kind of action against Muslims will create more problems for the Americans, and it will draw the hatred of the Muslim world," Abdollah Ramezanzadeh told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Under these rules, male visitors from a number of Muslim countries including Saudi Arabia, aged between 16 and 45, are required to register with the authorities upon entering the United States.

Such visitors are also required to appear for an interview at immigration offices if they wish to stay in the United States for more than 30 days. They must notify the authorities within 10 days of any change to their place of residence.

The countries whose citizens are subject to the extra checks are; Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

The U.S. government unveiled the new restrictions earlier this year, with the focus of the attention on Arab visitors.

On the other hand, there are between 30,000 and 40,000 Americans living and working in the oil-rich kingdom, down from about 60,000 a decade ago.

Since the September 11, 2001, attack on the United States, the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia has stiffened procedures for issuing visas to Saudi citizens, including students.

The Embassy also required Saudi women, normally veiled in public, to submit applications with photos showing their faces. Saudi men were asked to submit pictures without the traditional head cover.

Last month, the national oil giant Saudi Aramco was forced to send some 100 students to Europe after the U.S. Embassy refused to grant them visas.