Bin Laden weaker
Saudi Arabia suspects Osama bin Laden might be losing some control of his al Qaeda terrorist network, said the new Saudi ambassador in Washington.
“For the last year, we have been developing an impression that bin Laden is not what he used to be,” Ambassador Prince Turki al-Faisal told reporters at the Saudi Embassy this week.
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Prince Turki said bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, appears to be positioning himself to take over the network if bin Laden dies or is incapacitated. Al-Zawahri this week issued a videotape in which he said bin Laden is alive and in charge.
“Zawahri has been clearly showing the world that, if he is not No. 1, he would be No. 1 should bin Laden disappear,” the ambassador said.
Prince Turki, a former head of Saudi intelligence who knew bin Laden, said his government thinks the terrorist leader is alive and still plotting attacks. The ambassador said he thinks bin Laden ordered the London subway bombings in July.
“Bin Laden is still capable of issuing orders and having them carried out,” Prince Turki said.
The ambassador said both men will be a threat to the Western world and to Saudi Arabia as long as they remain at large.
“Bin Laden has to be captured. Zawahri has to be captured. The longer they are uncaptured, the stronger the aura of invincibility they acquire,” he said.
Prince Turki explained that one of his top priorities as ambassador is to improve the image of Saudi Arabia in the United States, where some members of Congress and some foreign policy analysts have accused the kingdom of supporting terrorism and abusing human rights.
“I’ve come here to try to expand and improve relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia,” he said, adding that he has been well-received “at all levels” of the U.S. government.
“The United States has an image problem in the Arab world. We Saudis have an image problem in the United States,” he said.
The Bush administration put Saudi Arabia on a list of countries with religious intolerance.
“That has made us more determined to show the United States we should not be on that list,” Prince Turki said. “If we had similar lists in Saudi Arabia, I wouldn’t be surprised if the United States would be on a list for some issue.”
Prince Turki, who presented his diplomatic credentials to President Bush last week, said he got some advice from King Abdullah on how to deal with the straight-talking Texan. The king most recently met with Mr. Bush at his Crawford, Texas, ranch in April.
“Before I left Saudi Arabia, I asked his majesty how to deal with President Bush. He said, ’Just be open with him,’ ” the ambassador said.
Unwanted embassy
The U.S. Embassy in Norway can’t seem to satisfy anyone.
Citizens in downtown Oslo complained so much about intrusive security measures disrupting their neighborhood that the embassy decided to move to the outskirts of the capital.
However, that move has been met with more angry citizens, who have gathered 10,000 signatures on a petition opposing the relocation. The Oslo City Council narrowly approved the move on Wednesday, and the embassy promised to be a good neighbor in its new location.
“The construction of a facility … will allow us to meet our commitment to the citizens of Oslo to relocate the U.S. Embassy to a safer, more secure site outside the city center,” the embassy said.
“We recognize that this decision was a difficult one for the City Council and that a significant number of citizens, mainly in the Huseby neighborhood, are unhappy with the outcome.
“We will do our best to convince Huseby’s residents that the U.S. Embassy will be a good neighbor.”
• Call Embassy Row at 202/636-3297, fax 202/832-7278 or e-mail jmorrison@
washingtontimes.com.
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