WASHINGTON, 30 January — Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, said yesterday it was “difficult to defend” the United States because of its continued support for Israel, in an interview published by both The New York Times and The Washington Post.
While insisting relations between Washington and Riyadh are unchanged after six decades despite widely reported tensions, the crown prince said as a good friend to the United States it was important to speak sincerely and frankly about what is happening in the Palestinian-controlled territories.
“As a member of my community, it is very difficult for me to accept what is happening in the territories because it is inhumane and violates basic principles and tenets,” said the crown prince. US support for Israel, “an army that’s equipped with planes, tanks and helicopters confronting a people equipped with stones,” makes it “very difficult to defend America,” he told the dailies in Arabic in remarks that were then translated.
“In the current environment, we find it very difficult to defend America, and so we keep our silence. Because, to be very frank with you, how can we defend America?” he asked. Arab allies of the United States have grown increasingly discontented with the continued support Washington provides to Israel, though neither Jordan nor Egypt has been as vocal, or as critical, as the crown prince was in the hour-long interview with the two US dailies.
The White House yesterday said that there was a difference with Riyadh with respect to the peace process in the Middle East, but sought to minimize the disagreement. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, responding to the interview, said: “Just as our relations are with many nations, there are many things we agree on and there are others we disagree on... The approach to the Middle East, to peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors, that’s an issue where there is disagreement.”
Prince Abdullah charged that Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, a Saudi by birth, was a “deviant” who was trying to “drive a wedge between Saudi Arabia and the United States”. “He picked young Saudis, and he was able to brainwash them, he was able to program them for an evil cause. The proof is that he was able to name them and say what regions they came from,” Prince Abdullah was quoted as saying.
Speaking on Saudi-US ties, he said: “Our relationship has been very strong for over six decades. I really don’t see any disagreements, other than what I read in some media.” But Prince Abdullah offered criticism as one “friend” to another that the US had undermined its international coalition against terrorism, and invited resentment among Arabs, by refusing to come to speak up on behalf of Palestinian victims of Israeli aggression.
“We see children being shot at, buildings being destroyed, trees uprooted, people encircled, territories closed and women killed, unborn babies delivered at check points,” Prince Abdullah was quoted as saying. “These are very painful images, and when we worry about the future and we worry about the causes that lead people to become violent, the reasons that lead people to become suicide bombers, these are the reasons they do so.”
He said the United States “has a duty to follow its conscience to reject repression” of Palestinians. “It must reject oppression. It must reject humiliation”.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak spoke with US President George W. Bush on Monday as part of an effort by Arab states to express concern over US Middle East policy. A Saudi Arabian newspaper reported on Monday that Arab states planned to send a strongly worded message to the United States that interests in the Arab world were at stake if it did not stop Israeli attacks on Palestinians.
The crown prince said there were no talks under way over the future of US troops based in Saudi Arabia. “I don’t believe there is a change in the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia,” he said.
“Our relationship has been very strong for over six decades, and I don’t see any reason why there should be a change.”
Responding to the accusation that he has been critical of the United States, the crown prince said: “Ask the presidents who have dealt with me: President Carter, President Reagan, President Bush, President Clinton and President Bush Jr., with whom I expect to develop a strong relationship.
“Ask them about my views toward America. And let me ask another question: If you have a friend, would you prefer that friend be honest and sincere and frank and point out areas of your life that need change, or would you prefer a friend who just goes along with anything you say.”
Asked how he would explain to the Americans the alleged presence of 15 Saudis among the hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks, Prince Abdulah said: “We have had experience in the past few years — the Khobar bombing, the Riyadh bombing — which were committed by Saudis. You have had in your own country Americans who have committed terrorist attacks, such as Timothy McVeigh in Oklahoma.”
“A deviant is a deviant regardless of his nationality,” he added.
Prince Abdullah said there was no inherent discrimination against women in Saudi society.
Speaking to reporters after taking part in the traditional Ardha folklore dance in Riyadh on Monday, Prince Abdullah said Iraq has the right to seek reconciliation with other Arab countries.
