August 19, 2002	Monday	Jamadi-us-Saani 9, 1423

RIYADH, Aug 18: Saudi opinion makers and the Saudi charities, blamed in a lawsuit in USA for allegedly funding the Al Qaeda organization have reacted sharply to the accusations.

A leading Saudi daily Al-Watan in one of its editorials has revealed that in 1996 Saudi Arabia wanted to extradite Osama Bin Laden from Sudan, before he left for Afghanistan, but the US blocked the move.

“Many of those America is hunting now for terrorism graduated from American training camps. America had trained terrorists at camps across American territory and it refused to extradite Osama Bin Laden from Sudan in 1996. So the relatives of the victims of the September 11 attacks should file the lawsuit against the United States, and not against the Saudis,” the paper added.

Newspapers here have also called for redefining and revising the strategic partnership with the United States.

“There is a need to revise the kingdom’s international strategic relations. At the top of that comes the need to reconsider the US-Saudi strategic ties,” the paper said in a front page editorial on the issue.

“We must question those who think that America is our strategic option that cannot be substituted,” the paper suggested in a strongly-worded opinion.

More than 600 relatives of victims who perished during the 9/11 attacks have filed a law suit seeking trillions of dollars in compensation from 99 organisations or individuals.

The two accused Saudi charity organizations also vehemently decried the accusations and branded it as a new plot against Islamic charities.

“We never had any relation with Osama Bin Laden or any illegal organisations. They are now targeting Islamic charitable work,” Adnan Basha, the Secretary General of the International Islamic Relief Organisation (IIRO) was quoted here on Sunday as saying.

Last year IIRO spent some $33 million on 2,800 projects and more than 44,000 orphans. The IIRO has offices in a number of countries, mainly Africa and Asia.

The Assistant Secretary General of the World Assembly of the Muslim Youth (WAMY), also named in the list of accused in the lawsuit, said it was part of a fierce campaign to discredit Islamic charity organisations.

“This is an organized and well-prepared campaign. Their ultimate goal is (to target) Islam as a religion and its charity organizations,” he added. Both the organisation agreed that joint action was needed to confront the law suit.

Meanwhile, another influential Saudi daily Okaz branded the suit as the largest operation of blackmail plotted by secret hands.

“The issue is no longer a media campaign instigated by Israel. It has exceeded the limits of blackmail and pressure to target the kingdom and its people,” it said. Al-Madinah termed the case as political and financial blackmail.

“It is a case of open financial and political blackmail, by skilled lawyers who are fabricating evidence in an environment that is hostile to Arab culture and values,” it added.

The Al-Nadwa daily said the lawsuit sought to accuse charities in the kingdom of funding terrorism, but the ultimate goal was to convict Saudi Arabia itself.