WASHINGTON, Nov 27: US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia was a “friend” of the United States and a “strategic partner” in the “war on terrorism”.

Powell’s comments follow media reports that US intelligence officials were investigating a charge that several cheques sent by a Saudi princess were used to pay the rent for an apartment occupied by two of the Sept 11 hijackers.

The secretary’s remarks are seen as an effort to do some damage control for a country it needs in the “war against terror”.

“I believe that the government of Saudi Arabia has the same commitments as the United States government and the government of Mexico to eliminate the scourge of terrorism wherever it is found,” Powell said. “We should not go to the point where we rupture relations with a country that has been a good friend to the United States for many, many years and is a strategic partner.”