MANAMA, 31 October — Saudi Arabia will ask its citizens to leave the United States if they are continually harassed, Interior Minister Prince Naif said here yesterday. "The Kingdom is working to put an end to this matter (harassment), and we hope it will end," Prince Naif told reporters after attending a meeting of GCC interior ministers.
"But if it continues, we would certainly ask our citizens to come home, or relocate to another place. But we hope it (harassment) won’t continue," the minister added.
Scores of Saudi students, patients, who had gone for treatment, and workers who returned to the Kingdom following the Sept. 11 attacks have spoken of harassment, maltreatment and humiliation from both the US authorities and the public.
The Interior Ministry has set up a hot line for families of Saudis detained in the United States. More than 100 Saudis were taken in for questioning over the terror attacks which Washington blamed on Osama Bin Laden. Only 12 of them remain in US custody, officials say.
Prince Naif also denied that Riyadh has arrested people linked to the terror attacks in New York and Washington. "We have neither arrested nor detained any person for the Sept. 11 terror attacks," he said. "If we get any proof (linking them to the attacks), we will arrest them and they will be subjected to the Kingdom’s law."
The minister raised his objection to the practice of charging the suspected Saudis, linked to the Sept. 11 hijackings and attacks, without any proof. "We did not expect the US to take such an action because there is no justification in charging the Saudis who were said to be on board the hijacked planes."
He also rejected the move to brand Palestinian resistance as terrorism. "This is unacceptable. Terrorism is what Israel is practicing as it massacres innocents, children and women and wantonly destroys houses without fear of the United Nations or the international community, because of the backing it receives," he added.
Asked about the Kingdom’s stance on the attempts to change the regime in Afghanistan, he said: "The Afghan peoples’ choice will be the right one in this context." He said the GCC states will issue electronic passports next month to facilitate movement of citizens between the member countries. He said the fight against terrorism must address its motivations and root causes.
Asked about Kingdom’s participation in the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Doha, Qatar, in which Israel too is taking part, he said: "Our position on this issue remains as before."
