07 December 2001

U.S. Delegation Goes to Saudi Arabia for Anti-Terrorism Talks

State Department Deputy spokesman Philip Reeker said Saudi Foreign Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Saud al-Faisal, met President Bush at the White House in Washington December 7 on a broad array of bilateral and regional issues.

Briefing reporters at the State Department in Washington December 7, Reeker added that an inter-agency team of U.S. officials has gone to Saudi Arabia for bilateral discussions on the international campaign against terror and cooperative efforts to combat terrorist financing.

Reeker said the United States is very satisfied with the level of Saudi cooperation.

The following excerpt from the transcript of Reeker's December 7 briefing contains his comments on U.S.-Saudi ties:

Question: I realize that the White House is probably the place to ask about the meeting with the Saudi Foreign Minister today and Armitage.

Mr. Reeker: It is.

Question: But the team left last night, I guess. And since State has a leading role in that, along with Treasury, did this building want to keep that visit quiet, as was reported by one major newspaper? Was there some reason --

Mr. Reeker: Absolutely not. And those of you with whom I spoke yesterday, when I came down to your quarters here in the building to discuss the day's events, are quite aware that I echoed what the White House had announced about an interagency team that is led by the State Department which arrived today in Saudi Arabia.

As you indicated, Matt, the Saudi Foreign Minister, His Royal Highness Saudi Prince Saud Al Faisal, has met with the President this morning to discuss a broad array of bilateral and regional issues. Deputy Secretary of State Armitage participated in that meeting and you will get a readout of that from the White House.

The team that we were just referring to has arrived in Saudi Arabia for bilateral discussions regarding the international campaign against terrorism and our mutual cooperative efforts to combat terrorist financing. We have had a very constructive dialogue with Saudi Arabia on a wide range of issues, including this terrorist financing effort. And, as you are well aware, we are very satisfied with the level of Saudi cooperation.

We are continuing to engage in a number of ways in this ongoing effort, which advances our mutual interests, and this team visiting there is just one part of that. Saudi Arabia, like so many other countries, has expressed a commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 1373, which calls upon all UN members to ensure that persons who participate in financing, planning, preparation or perpetration of terrorist acts is brought to justice. So in the spirit of that, we are continuing this strong cooperation with Saudi Arabia.

Question: Just to make sure, the much-reported non-cooperation of the Saudis --

Mr. Reeker: Erroneously reported.

Question: Right, right, right. But on that, this team isn't going over there to complain to the Saudis that they are not cooperating?

Mr. Reeker: Not at all. This team, as I indicated to some of you yesterday, is going over to do exactly what I described, to continue this cooperation. It is a natural next step as we move on this. We have had a number of contacts, the Foreign Minister being here today at the White House. This is the third such visit in the last three month. Our Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, Ambassador Burns, visited Riyadh last weekend, as you know, and met with Crown Prince Abdallah, as well as the Foreign Minister. Senior officials from the Saudi Monetary Agency and Finance Ministry have met with Treasury Secretary O'Neill and Under Secretary Taylor, and that this team of officials that we described is going to Saudi Arabia. So this is an ongoing process.

Question: And just extremely briefly, is this the kind of thing -- you expect a reciprocal visit back? You mentioned that the Saudi monetary officials had been here already --

Mr. Reeker: I don't think one could say what the next step in this progression would be. We will let this team visit. It is an ongoing discussion, and then we will just see. We expect the support and cooperation to continue, certainly.