US refuses to release terrorism financing report

31 July 2003
Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal on 29 July failed to persuade President Bush to release the section of the recent report on terrorism dealing with financing, at a hastily-arranged meeting between the two men in Washington. The 900-page study on the results of a congressional enquiry into the 11 September terrorist attacks in New York and Washington was released on 24 July, but a 28-page section on how the terrorists were financed remains classified (MEED 25:7:03). Widely reported leaks have made clear that the finger is pointed at Riyadh, and Prince Saud echoed Saudi ambassador Pince Bandar bin Sultan in calling for publication of the section in question to allow a rebuttal of the accusations. 'Twenty-eight blank pages are now considered substantial evidence to proclaim the guilt of a country that has been a true friend and partner of the US for over 60 years,' Prince Saud said after his meeting with Bush, expressing disappointment with the president's decision and strongly denying any government involvement with terrorism. Bush said that the section had to be suppressed to protect sources and methods, and because it had a bearing on ongoing criminal investigations.

In the declassified part of the report, a man suspected by the FBI of being a Saudi intelligence agent, Omar al-Bayoumi, is reported to have helped two of the 11 September hijackers to settle in the US and to have 'had access to seemingly unlimited funding from Saudi Arabia'. Prince Saud on 30 July gave permission to American security services to question Al-Bayoumi, who has since returned to the kingdom, in response to a request from National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. 'I said this will be simple,' Prince Saud told reporters. 'If you want to question anybody in Saudi Arabia, this can be handled by the CIA and FBI station managers there and it doesn't require agreement on a high level between the two countries.'

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