RIYADH/NEW YORK, 12 October — New York yesterday rejected a $10 million donation for victims of the World Trade Center attack from a senior member of the Saudi royal family after he criticized US policy in the Middle East. Mayor Rudy Giuliani described comments by Prince Alwaleed ibn Talal, the Kingdom’s most prominent businessman, as “highly irresponsible” and “dangerous.” Alwaleed earlier toured the rubble of the trade center with Giulani, who received the check for the Twin Towers Fund, set up to help families of emergency service workers killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.
But after hearing of Alwaleed’s comments, which condemned the attack but suggested Washington should learn from it, Giuliani’s office issued a statement saying the check had been rejected. “When we became aware of Prince Alwaleed’s statements, we investigated whether the check had been deposited. The check has not been deposited. The Twin Towers Fund has not accepted it,” said the statement.
Alwaleed said he came to visit “Ground Zero” to offer condolences to families of victims of the attack, which left some 5,160 people missing or dead, and to condemn terrorism. “However, at times like these, we must address some of the issues that led to such a criminal attack,” he said, according to a statement issued by his Kingdom Holdings Company in Riyadh.
“I believe the government of the United States should re-examine its policies in the Middle East and adopt a more balanced stance toward the Palestinian cause,” he added, calling for an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. “Our Palestinian brethren continue to be slaughtered at the hands of Israelis as the world (looks the other way),” said Alwaleed.
When informed of Alwaleed’s comments, Giuliani retorted: “I entirely reject that statement. The people who did it lost any right to ask for justification for it when they slaughtered four or five thousand innocent people, and to suggest that there is a justification for it only invites this happening in the future”
The Alwaleed statement noted that the prince, who did postgraduate studies at Syracuse University, has “a special affinity to New York,” with “numerous investment ventures in the Big Apple.” “I speak for all Muslims, Arabs and Saudis when I say that we represent the absolute antithesis of terror...I also want to reiterate Saudi Arabia’s stance in condemning all forms of terrorism,” said the prince. He said: “Islam is a great religion that is premised on peace. The word Islam is derived from the Arabic word meaning peace. Incidentally, after the atrocious Sept. 11 attacks, people in the US have been eager to find out more about Islam. This is evidenced by the enormous demand for books on Islam.”
