CAIRO, 24 December 2004 — The Arab League is trying to mediate in a dispute among two of its members caused by accusations Libya plotted an assassination attempt on the Saudi crown prince, the league’s chief said yesterday.
Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday it was withdrawing its ambassador to Libya and asking the Libyan ambassador to leave the Kingdom in response to accusations of a plot against Crown Prince Abdullah first made months ago by the United States.
Libya, which has denied the accusations, asked the league to intervene, league Secretary-General Amr Moussa told reporters.
“We will work on discussing the issue to solve it, not inflame it,” Moussa said, adding he would visit both countries if necessary.
Moussa said that his aides met separately with Libyan and Saudi representatives to the Arab League to “listen to each country’s position and asked each to provide the Arab League with all the information necessary about the crisis.”
The alleged plot against Crown Prince Abdullah was outlined by US investigators in their case against Abdul Rahman Al-Amoudi, a prominent American Muslim activist who pleaded guilty in July to illegal business dealings with Libya. While Al-Amoudi was not charged in the alleged assassination plot, prosecutors cited the plot in requesting Al-Amoudi receive the maximum 23-year sentence, which he did in October.
In Washington Wednesday, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the United States had repeatedly raised the purported assassination attempt with the Libyans, but had not received sufficient explanation “to reach a definitive judgment on the matter.”
According to a 20-page “statement of facts” filed by US prosecutors, Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi wanted Prince Abdullah killed after a March 2003 Arab League Summit during which the two were involved in sharp exchanges.
Within two weeks of the summit, Al-Amoudi, who had in the past frequently traveled to meet Libyan government officials, was summoned to a meeting in Tripoli and told Qaddafi wanted to punish Saudi leaders. The unidentified Libyan officials wanted Al-Amoudi to introduce them to Saudi dissidents who could create “headaches” for the Saudi regime, authorities said. Al-Amoudi was not initially told the ultimate plan was to assassinate the crown prince.
