RIYADH, 9 January 2007 — A senior Australian diplomat said yesterday that no group from the Arab world with terror links has funded any social or religious project of Australia or Australian-based organizations.
“In fact, Canberra has been consulting Saudi government on funding proposals submitted by Australian groups as and when required,” Australian Ambassador Ian Biggs said yesterday.
Biggs was commenting on meida reports, which have quoted Foreign Minister Alexander Downers as saying that his government is in talks with Saudi Arabia over the issue of funding. Downers said he appreciated the efforts of the Kingdom in this regard and made it clear that no Australian organization is receiving funds from extremist groups.
He, however, confirmed that his government has given the greenlight to some organizations, which applied for funds from the Saudi government. The Kingdom has contributed an estimated SR400 million to help establish schools and mosques in Australia since the 1970s.
The talks between the two governments allow intelligence agencies of both countries to keep closer tabs on humanitarian aid. Ambassador Biggs denied that any Saudi extremist organization had financed any projects or Islamic groups in Australia.
According to reports, a mosque in an Adelaide suburb, which has been in the news, has applied to receive funds from the Kingdom. Asked about Saudi donations given to any Australian group recently, Biggs said he is aware of a number of applications seeking Saudi funding does not know any specific organization that has received funds from the Kingdom.
