WASHINGTON, Sept 27: US President George W. Bush has certified that Saudi Arabia is cooperating in the war on terrorism, clearing the way for aid that would otherwise have been blocked under US law.

The move was announced late Monday in a memorandum for US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, even as a close Bush aide headed to Riyadh after criticizing the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom’s human rights record.

“I hereby certify that Saudi Arabia is cooperating with efforts to combat international terrorism and that the proposed assistance will help facilitate that effort,” Bush said in the memorandum.

The White House released the document as close Bush confidante Karen Hughes, the newly minted US undersecretary for public diplomacy, prepared to meet Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah on Tuesday.

Under a 2005 spending bill, direct US aid to Saudi Arabia is forbidden unless the president certifies that Riyadh is cooperating with efforts to combat international terrorism and that the money will help that campaign.

Supporters of the measure acknowledge that the overall sum of current aid is small, but say that they were principally concerned with keeping a close watch on potential future US financial and military assistance to the kingdom.—AFP