ADEL
AL-JUBEIR
HOLDS
NEWS
CONFERENCE
ON
FIGHTING
TERRORISM
December
3, 2002
"I
wanted
to make
a few
comments
about
Saudi
Arabia
and the
war on terrorism,
and then
I wanted
to give
you an
opportunity
to ask
questions.
I'm sure
all of
you by
now have
received
a
summary
of the
report
that we
put out in
terms of
the
steps
that
Saudi
Arabia
has
taken in
the war
against terrorism.
"Saudi
Arabia
has been
a victim
of
terrorism
for the
last 40
years.
In the 1960s,
we had
bombs
going
off in
Riyadh.
We were
able to
apprehend
the terrorists
who
committed
it, and
we
severely
punished
them.
"In
the
1970s,
our oil
minister
was
hijacked
with the
other
oil
ministers
by Carlos,
the
international
terrorist.
We have
had
airplane
hijackings.
We have had
our
embassies
attacked.
We have
had
attempts
against
facilities
in Saudi
Arabia.
And we
pursued
the
terrorists
mercilessly,
and we
punished
them
harshly.
"In
the
1980s,
we also
have had
attempts
against
Saudi
Arabia.
And in
the 1990s,
Al Qaida
struck
in Saudi
Arabia
before
it
struck
in the
United States.
"In
1995,
the
explosion
in
Riyadh,
which
resulted
in the
deaths
at the national
guard
training
mission,
was the
work of
bin
Laden.
This was
before the
embassy
bombings
in East
Africa.
There
have
been a
number
of
attempts
against
Saudi
Arabia
that we
were
able to
stifle
with the
help of
God and because
of the
diligence
of our
security
services.
"We
have
been
vigilant
in
trying
to choke
off the
financing
for
terrorists
and
those
who
engage
in
terrorism,
because
we
believe
that the
most important
part in
the
international
effort
against
terrorism
is to
choke them of
their
financing
and to
handicap
their
abilities
to do
damage
to innocent
people.
"In
the
1990s,
we were
the
first
country
in the
world to
freeze
the
assets
of Osama
bin
Laden.
We did
so in
1994.
"In
1996, we
set up a
joint
counterterrorism
committee
with the
United
States whose
main
objective
was to
pursue
Al Qaida.
"Since
September
11, we
have
engaged
in a
number
of
issues.
Whether
it involves
the war
against
terrorism,
whether
it
involves
intelligence,
whether
it
involves
financial
issues,
whether
it
involves
coordination
and cooperation
with
other
countries,
we've
done
that.
"If
there is
a fault
that we
take
credit
for,
it's
that we
haven't
talked about
it. And
this is
about to
change.
"We
believe
that our
country
has been
unfairly
maligned.
We
believe
that we have
been
subjected
to
criticism
that we
do not
deserve.
We
believe
that people
have
been
misinformed
about
Saudi
Arabia
and what
Saudi
Arabia
has done or
frankly
that
people
have
lied
about
what we
have
done or
what we allegedly
have not
done.
"We
have
been
described
as the
kernel
of evil,
the
breeding
ground
for terrorists.
Our
faith
has been
maligned
in ways
that I
did not
expect Americans
to ever
do so.
And
people
have
been
able to
do that
with a straight
face,
which I,
as a
human
being,
find
very
shocking.
"We
are
announcing
today
some of
the
steps
that we
have
taken
both
before September
11 as
well as
after
September
11 in
the
financial
front in
the war against
terrorism.
And we
hope
that
this
will lay
to rest
the
charges
by those
who
either
level
those
charges
out of
ignorance
or out
of
malice
so that it
becomes
very
clear to
the
world
that
Saudi
Arabia
has been
instrumental
in this
war
against
terrorism.
"Ultimately,
it is
our two
countries
that are
in the
cross-hairs
of Al
Qaida. Virtually
every
attack
by Al
Qaida
was
either
committed
against
the U.S.
or Saudi
Arabia
or a
common
interest
of our
two
countries.
And we
should
keep that in
mind
when we
look at
this
organization.
And when
we look
at the commitment
of Saudi
Arabia
to fight
the
scourge
of
terrorism
and to
bringing
those
who
perpetrate
terrorism
to
justice.
"Now,
I'll
take a
few
minutes
and talk
to you
about
some of
the
steps
we've taken.
Saudi
Arabia,
we have
a first
rate
banking
system.
Our
banking
system is
probably
one of
the most
solid
ones
outside
of the
G-7. We
have had
anti-money
laundering
laws and
regulations
and
procedures
in place
since
the early
1990s.
We have
adopted
the 40
recommendations
of the
Financial
Action Task
Force,
which
drew out
of the
G-7
meeting
in
1988.
"In
Paris,
we have
adopted
the
eight
most
recent
recommendations
of the Financial
Action
Task
Force
with
regards
to
terrorism
financing.
We have asked
the
Financial
Action
Task
Force to
come
into
Saudi
Arabia
and give
us an
outside
assessment
of how
effective
that the
implementation
of these
points
has
been.
And they
expect
to do so
in the
spring
of next
year. I believe
we are
one of
the
first
countries
to do
so.
"We
have
added
"know
your
customer"
laws and
regulations
to our
banking system
so that
nobody
can open
up a
bank
account
and
transfer
money to
a recipient
who
receives
it in
cash. It
has to
go from
one bank
account
to another
so that
we have
an audit
trail so
we can
trace
where
funds
go.
"We
have
also put
in place
a
financial
intelligence
unit
that
ties our
central
bank
with the
various
banks in
Saudi
Arabia
so they
have
real
time in terms
of
either
new
threats
or new
ways for
evil-doers
to take
advantage
of
financial
systems
or
whatever.
And I
believe
we are
on the
forefront
of countries
in doing
so.
"We
have
also set
up a
High
Commission
for
Oversight
of
Charities,
which is
very
similar
to --
I'll get
to this
in a
second.
We set
up a
High
Commission
for
Oversight
of
Charities.
The
purpose
of this
high
commission
is to
look at ways
to
regulate
charities,
to help
charities
put in
place
financial
control mechanisms
and
procedures
so that
people
cannot
take
advantage
of them. We
are
currently
also
going
through
audits
of the
charities
to make sure
that
they
know
what
needs to
be
done.
"Our
new
regulations
require
charities
to have
audits.
This new
department
that
will be
created,
that
will
grow out
of the
High
Commission
for Oversight
of
Charities,
will
have
that
responsibility.
"One
of the
issues
that we
didn't
have in
Saudi
Arabia
is, we
don't
pay taxes.
And so
as a
consequence,
we don't
file
returns.
And so
when you
don't file
returns
in your
organization,
you
don't do
audits.
So it
wasn't
that there
was
laxness
in the
system,
it was
just
that we
didn't
have a
mechanism
that
requires
nonprofit
organizations
to
perform
audits.
Now, we
do.
"We
require
our
charities
who do
work
outside
Saudi
Arabia
to
coordinate
their
international
activities
with the
Foreign
Ministry
so we
can help
further
guide
them and
help
further
work
with
them on
ensuring
that
funds are
accounted
for and
do not
go to
places
they
shouldn't
go.
"We
do this
not to
clamp
down on
charity.
Quite
the
contrary,
charity
is part of our
faith.
As
Muslims,
we are
required
to give
to
charity
and to
give generously.
And we
are glad
and
grateful
and
proud
that our
people
do
so.
"What
we want
-- our
desire
is to
ensure
that the
donors
who
donate
funds to
charities
are
assured
that
those
funds go
for the
purposes
that
they're intended
for. Our
desire
is to
ensure
that our
charities
are
vigilant
and are not
in a
position
where
people
take
advantage
of them
because
they may
or may
not be
aware of
certain
procedures.
So
that's
sort of
where we
are.
"We
have
communicated
this to
your
government.
Our two
countries
have had
a solid
friendship
and
alliance
that has
spanned
over six
decades.
We have seen the
coming
and
breaking
of many
storms.
We have
been
partners
in
peace. We have
been
partners
in war.
And we
are and
shall
remain
partners
in the
war
against
terrorism.
"This
is
something
that
affects
both of
our
citizens.
It's
something
that has
an
impact
on
global
stability.
And we
will be
vigilant.
We will
be determined.
And we
will be
merciless
when it
comes to
dealing
with
terrorism
and
those
who
perpetrate
it.
"In
our
desire
to
further
strengthen
cooperation
and
exchange
of
information
with the
U.S.
government,
our
foreign
minister
had
proposed
to the
U.S.
that we
expand,
broaden
and
deepen
the
contacts
that we
have
with the
U.S. government
in the
anti-terrorism
front
and to
add, in
particular,
expertise
that
deals
with
financial
issues
to
ensure
that
everybody
on this
side of the
ocean
who
needs to
know
knows
and to ensure
that
everybody
on our
end who
needs to
know
knows.
And we
look
forward
to
enhancing
visits
and exchange
of
visits
and
meetings
between
Saudi
officials
and
American
officials
in the
weeks
and
months
ahead.
"I'll
stop
here and
take
some
questions."
EXCERPTS
FROM THE
PRESS
CONFERENCE
TRANSCRIPT
QUESTION:
"...how
do you
deal
with the
informal
networking
in the
system
of charities
that
could go
to
terror networks?"
AL-JUBEIR:
"Well,
that's a
good
question.
And
it'll be
very
difficult
to deal
with not just
for
Saudi
Arabia,
but for
every
country.
"I
understand
that the
United
States
gives
$10
billion
a year
in
foreign aid and
that
American
citizens
give
another
$30
billion
or so in
private contributions,
whether
it's to
Save The
Children,
whether
it's
writing
checks
directly
to
institutions
outside
the U.S.
And it's
very
difficult
to monitor
this or
to
manage
this or
to
control
this.
"We have
no doubt
that
those
who give
for
charitable
purposes
have the
objective
of
helping
others
in need.
We are
much
more
public
about
the dangers
that
lurk and
the
possibility
that
somebody
could
try to
deceive
or could
try to
take
advantage
of, and
we are
hoping
that
through
more
public announcements,
we can
educate
people
so that
they
become
more
vigilant
in how they
and
where
they
give
their
contributions.
"The
other
issue,
frankly,
is we
have an
inter-banking
system.
Every dollar
that
leaves
Saudi
Arabia
now can
be
traced.
And if
we find
linkage toward
illicit
issues
or
illegal
things
or
terrorism,
we will
pursue
it and
we will
pursue
it
vigorously.
We
cannot
allow
our
money to
be used
to
murder our
people,
period."
QUESTION:
"Do
you
think
that you
have
some
responsibility
yourself,
as a
kingdom,
for the
way that
money
has
flowed
for not
being
tougher
and for
not acknowledging
that
there is
great
sympathy
among
many of
your
people
for bin Laden
and his
operatives?"
AL-JUBEIR:
"Well,
I think
that
there is
responsibility
to go
around
for
everyone.
If you
look at
September
11: It
was
conceived
in
Afghanistan.
It was
planned in
Germany.
It was
funded
through
Dubai.
It was
executed
in
America.
And they
used
Saudis.
Everyone
has a
responsibility,
and
everyone
has an obligation
to work
together
in order
to make
sure
that
this
doesn't
happen again,
not just
in the
United
States,
but in
other
places.
"We know
that it
takes
more
than one
-- it
takes
two to
tango in
a way. In this
case, it
takes
the
whole
world to
tango.
You
cannot
be
effective
in the
fight
against
terrorism
if it is
not a
global
effort.
Money
moves
from one
jurisdiction
to
another,
and
unless
both
jurisdictions
cooperate,
the trial is
lost.
"Intelligence
information,
law
enforcement
issues,
it has
to be a multilateral
effort.
We
believe
very
strongly
that
pointing
fingers
and assigning
blame
doesn't
get our
or you
or the
rest of
the
world
anywhere.
What we
need to
do, as
we have
done, is
join
hands,
rack our
brains
together
and find
ways to
fight
the
scourge
of
terrorism."
[Questions
about
Iraq]
QUESTION:
"Since
Paul
O'Neill
came to
Saudi
Arabia
in
March,
there
have
only
been these
two
joint
designations.
U.S.
officials
say they
would
like to
do more,
they
have
more
names,
but the
Saudis
are
insisting
on an
unreasonably
high criminal
standard
of proof
before
acting.
Is there
any
willingness
by Saudi
Arabia
to relax
somewhat
the
standard
of proof
before
doing
additional
designations?"
AL-JUBEIR:
"I
would
like to
see the
officials
that
said
this to
you,
because
what we have
in
Washington
right
now, the
atmosphere
in the
United
States, unfortunately,
is it's
a
feeding
frenzy,
it's
"let's
bash the
Saudis"
time. We are
guilty
before
we say
anything.
We are
guilty
as
charged.
Nobody
looks at the
evidence.
Nobody
tries to
prove
these
points.
"The
criticism
that I
hear in
the
newspapers
always
comes
from
anonymous
officials.
I have
never
met such
an
anonymous
official.
I come
to your country
many
times. I
have met
with
people
in the
State
Department,
in the White
House,
at the
NSC, at
the
Treasury
Department,
at the
Justice Department.
I have
not
heard
people
describe
it in
the
manner
that you
have.
"Our two
countries
are
working
very
closely
on the
issue of
tracking
the finances
of
people
who
support
terrorism.
Our
view, as
is the
view of virtually
every
human
being in
the
world
with a
sense of
decency
and
justice,
is that
when you
level a
charge,
or when
you have
suspicion,
back it up
with
proof.
"If I
came
into the
United
States
and I
say,
"Freeze
John
Doe's
accounts,
because
I
believe
he
supports
terrorism,"
what do
you
think
your
officials
will
tell me?
They
will
tell me,
"What's
the
proof?"
If I
tell
them the
proof
is,
"I
heard a
rumor,"
do you
think
that
that
would be
sufficient?
"I'm not
saying
that
this is
what
they're
saying
regarding
us. I'm
saying that, if
you put
yourself
in our
shoes,
or in
the
shoes of
the
Europeans,
the
issue of
taking
action
against
somebody
in a
very
serious
matter
needs to be
balanced
with
equity
and
justice.
It can't
be heavy
handed.
"We are
working
with the
U.S. on
looking
at a
number
of
individuals.
We have
asked
the
United
States
to come
forth
with
whatever
evidence
it has, just
like
when we
come to
the
United
States
and give
the U.S.
names,
and we have
given
them
many,
many
names.
We back
it up
with
whatever
proof we
have. And then
we begin
working
together
to see
if this
is
sufficient
to take action
or
not."
QUESTION:
"You
opened
up by
saying
that you
felt
Saudi
Arabia
has been
unfairly
maligned.
In that
context,
do you
believe
that the
planners
of the
9/11 hijackings
deliberately
used
Saudi to
try to
drive a
wedge
between
this country
and
yours,
and have
you
shared
any
information
with the
White
House that
would
substantiate
that?"
AL-JUBEIR:
"Absolutely.
We
believe
that if
you look
at Al
Qaida,
it's
members
come from
over 50
countries,
including
the
United
States.
When you
look at
the pilots,
they
came
from
Lebanon,
from the
Emirates,
from
Egypt,
from
Saudi Arabia.
It was a
veritable
Arab
league.
When you
look at
the
people
in the back of
the
airplanes,
they
were all
Saudis.
And that
begs the
question,
why? He
could
have had
Egyptians.
He could
have had
Germans.
He could
have had
Americans.
He could
have
Jamaicans.
He could
have had
Indians.
It could
have had
Malaysians.
He chose
Saudis.
"Why did
he do
it?
"In order
to give
this
operation
a Saudi
face and
to
create
doubt in
the minds of
Americans
about
Saudi
Arabia
and
drive a
wedge
between
our two countries.
And you
know
what? I
think he
almost
succeeded.
"And the
irony of
it is,
those
who are
most
critical
or
hostile
toward Saudi
Arabia
in the
United
States
are
playing
right
into his
hands.
Bin Laden,
if he's
dead, is
laughing
at them
from his
grave.
If he is
alive
and
sitting
in a
cave,
he's
doing
the same
thing.
"If,
instead
of 15 of
the 19
hijackers,
you had
only two
of three
Saudis on the
planes,
does
anyone
in this
room
think
that
Saudi
Arabia,
that our
people,
that our
faith,
that our
education
system
would
have
been
subjected
to this
severe
and
outrageous
criticism
with
which
borders
on
hate?
"And as
somebody
who has
lived in
the
United
States
for
almost
20
years, I have
never
seen
this
side of
America.
I never
expected
to see
this
side of America,
this
visceral,
knee-jerk,
"if
it's
Saudi,
it's got
to be
bad,"
reaction.
That's
what I
find
surprising.
"I can
understand
the
anger. I
can feel
your
anger. I
can
understand
you not
understanding
how we
reacted
to 9/11,
because
our
natures
are
different.
You tend
to be
emotional.
We tend
to be
inward-looking.
You tend
to be public
about
expressing
your
emotions.
We tend
to be
quiet.
And that
comes across
-- or
came
across
after
9/11 as
not
caring,
which is
not the
case."
QUESTION:
"In
addition
to being
the
commander
in
chief,
the
president
sets the
tone of
the
country.
Do you
think
the
president
has
responded
to the
kind of --
for what
you just
mentioned
-- in an
appropriate
way?"
AL-JUBEIR:
"Yes,
I think
it's
been
very
clear
from the
president
and the
secretary
of
state,
the NSC
adviser,
all of
America's
officials
have
consistently,
publicly
and on
the
record
attested
to the
positive
relationship
between
our two
countries.
The
president,
for
which he
deserves
a lot of
credit,
early on
embraced
the
American
Muslim
community
who made
sure
that
this is
a war against
terrorists,
not a
war
against
Muslims.
"He
visited
the
mosque
here in
Washington.
He was
severely
criticized
by people,
critics
of Saudi
Arabia.
He
maintained
his
course.
He spoke
out against
some of
the
statements
that
came out
of
American
religious
leaders,
which
were
disparaging
and
insulting
towards
Islam
and the
Prophet
Muhammad.
And for
that the
president
receives
and
should
receive
tremendous
credit.
"We are
not
surprised
that he
took
those
steps,
because
he is a God-fearing
man. He
is an
honorable
man. And
he's a
man with
a sense
of justice.
And we
want to
express
our
thanks
and
appreciation
for him
taking these
steps
which
show
compassion,
concern
and
sensitivity
toward
Muslims and
toward
people
of other
nationalities.
And I
think
that
exemplifies
the true
spirit
of
America."
QUESTION:
"The
Bush
administration
says
Saudi
Arabia
is in
fact a
good
ally,
but it needs
to do
more. I
wonder
if they
are --
what
they are
encouraging
you to do
more
than you
are
doing
now and
how
you're
reacting?"
AL-JUBEIR:
"Yes,
I think
that
that
statement
is
accurate.
Not just
with
Saudi Arabia,
but with
everybody
else,
including
the
United
States.
We all
need to do
more.
"And if
we don't
know
what
else we
should
be
doing,
we
should
scratch your
heads
and find
what
else we can be
doing
more.
America
can do
more. Saudi
Arabia
can do
more.
The
Europeans
can do
more. Other
countries
can do more.
There is
no limit
to what
one can
do to
stop the
murder
of
innocent
people.
And so,
in that
sense,
we
really
don't
take
issue
with the
statement.
"We have
extensive
cooperation
with the
U.S. We
intend
to
expand,
broaden and
deepen
those
ties and
those
links
with the
U.S. and
with
other countries.
We have
trained
our --
not only
our
security
people,
but we
are training
our
banking
people.
We are
training
our
finance
people.
We are training
-- we
are
educating
our
public
about
the
dangers
of
terrorism
and the
importance
of
staying
the
course.
Absolutely,
and we
are
making terrorism
a part
of our
curriculum
in our
schools.
And if
we find
other
ways where we
can help
move
this
forward,
we
will."
QUESTION:
"Have
they
asked
you --
have
they
laid
specifics
on the
table,
though? Have
they
asked
you to
take specific
steps?"
AL-JUBEIR:
"It's
as I
said
earlier,
it is
not a
relationship
of they
ask, we
do, or we ask,
they
do.
"It is a
partnership.
It is a
partnership
that has
been
going on
for 60 years.
In the
fight on
terrorism,
it has
been a
partnership
that has
gone on since
the
mid-90s.
We are
in the
same
boat. We
don't
sit
across
each
other from the
table.
It's a
roundtable.
We are
the
table.
In
particular,
Saudi Arabia
and the
United
States.
"I think
it would
be more
accurate
to say
that
both of
us
together
have asked
other
countries
to do
certain
things,
yes. But
we don't
ask each
other to do
different
things.
We are
in this
together.
We are
the two
countries
that are
most
threatened
by this
organization.
And we
are the
two
countries
against
whom
this
organization
has
taken
action.
So, do
you see
the --
what I
mean?"
QUESTION:
"You
said
that
audits
and
regulations
have
been put
into
effect.
Is this something
that's
going to
take
affect
immediately?"
AL-JUBEIR:
"The
decision
was made
by the
Higher
Commission
for
Charities
that charities
would be
subject
to
audits.
To be
fair, we
have
encountered
absolutely
no
resistance
from the
charities.
Quite
the
contrary,
they welcomed
the
involvement
of the
financial
people
in
helping
them set
up systems
that
will
make
them
more
effective
in
tracking
their
accounts
and so forth.
"What I
meant by
the
audits
is,
after
September
11
whenever
we hear,
we track
and see
where
funding
may have
come or
where
suspicions
are
raised, and we
have
performed
audits
on some
of the
charities
-- not
all of
them. We
are
still
going
through
that
process.
"The
decision,
like I
said,
has been
made.
The
regulation
is in
place. I
can't
tell you
if it'll
take two
weeks or
if it'll
take two
months.
But the audits
are
being
performed
as we
speak.
Some of
them
have
been
performed.
Guidelines
for
charities
are in
place.
We are
working
with the
charities
to help
them set
procedures
and
policies
for
maintaining
their
accounts."
"For
example,
a lot of
charities
raise
money
through
cash at
the
mosques.
And so
what
happens
to that
cash? It
needs to
be
logged
in. It
needs to
be tracked.
It needs
to be
put in a
bank
account.
And then
you have
control over
where it
goes
from
that
bank
account.
"We
believe
that
this
would
serve
the
interests
of the
donors
who give
money to
help
people
in need.
It will
serve
the
interests
of the
charities
to
ensure
that
they
know how
and
where
their
funds
are
spent,
and to
ensure that
nobody
can take
advantage
of their
generosity
and
their
charity.
And it will
serve
the
interests
of Saudi
Arabia.
And it
will
hopefully
serve as
a model
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