August 7, 2003	Thursday	Jumadi-us-Sani 8, 1424

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JEDDAH, Aug 6: Saudi Arabia bitterly criticized on Wednesday a US congressional report that implied the kingdom’s complicity in the Sept 11, 2001, attacks.

“How can Saudi Arabia be the main country fighting terrorism now and exchanging information that saved lives of people in the United States and at the same time assist terrorism? How is that possible?” Foreign Minister Saud al Faisal asked.

“This is illogical and unacceptable,” he told a news conference in Jeddah.

“We have answered many questions, whether on fighting terrorism or funding it... with figures, facts and documents that leave no room for doubt, but it seems some members of the Congress are deaf when it comes to Saudi Arabia.”

Prince Saud visited Washington last week to ask US President George Bush to declassify parts of the congressional report that dealt with Saudi Arabia. Mr Bush refused. Prince Saud said the main purpose of his trip was to prove that Saudi Arabia had nothing to hide.

“Where are the facts, where is the evidence? If they want to hide the truth, make false accusations and write unpublished documents here and there, we cannot deal with that,” he said.

The congressional report spoke of possible links between individuals in the Saudi government and some of the Sept 11 hijackers, 15 of whom were Saudis.

Prince Saud declined to give any details on the questioning by FBI agents of one Saudi mentioned in the report, Omar al Bayoumi. Mr Bayoumi, who has denied any link to the Sept 11 attacks, was interrogated in Jeddah on Saturday.

The report said Bayoumi had helped two of the hijackers, Khaled al Mihdhar and Nawaf al Hazmi.—Reuters