Posted on 07/31/2004 6:19:17 PM PDT by KangarooJacqui
In an exclusive interview, Prince Turki al-Faisal (Saudi Arabian ambassador to the UK) tells Con Coughlin why the US film-maker is so wrong
The Saudi royal family has launched a bitter attack on the American film-maker Michael Moore over his claims that the Bush administration secretly smuggled a number of high-ranking Saudi nationals out of the US in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
Prince Turki said these claims have now been completely refuted in the report compiled by the US commission of inquiry into the 9/11 attacks, which was published at the end of last month.
In a section headed 'Flights of Saudi Nationals Leaving the United States', the report found 'no evidence that any flights of Saudi nationals, domestic or international, took place before the reopening of national airspace on the morning of September 13, 2001'. The report also concludes that it found no evidence of political interference by the White House, and states that those Saudis who did leave the US on charter flights in the days following the attacks had been thoroughly vetted by FBI agents.
Prince Turki said Moore could have found this out for himself before he made the film, but he 'chose to speculate' rather than establish what really happened.
'Michael Moore made a request to visit Saudi Arabia and we granted him a visa, but he never came,' said Prince Turki in an interview with The Telegraph. 'He missed an important opportunity to find out key facts. In my opinion he should have made every effort to go to a country he has taken to task so heavily in his film.'
Prince Turki said there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for the decision to fly home a number of prominent Saudis in the days following the attacks.
'They were allowed to leave because everyone recognised that anyone with the name bin Laden might have a hard time with the American public after the terror attacks,' he said.
Far from assisting al-Qa'eda, Prince Turki said that the Saudis thought they were the most likely target of a devastating terrorist attack by bin Laden's organisation, and the country had been placed on its highest state of alert since the summer of 2001.
'We thought that bin Laden was planning to attack us, not America. Therefore it was not exactly in our interests for us to support bin Laden's organisation.'
Prince Turki insisted that Saudi Arabia has been a key ally in Washington's long-running campaign against bin Laden's organisation.
In 1998 he travelled to Afghanistan to meet Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader, to persuade him to evict bin Laden. At first Mullah Omar agreed, but later reneged on his promise.
'The second time I saw him our meeting ended in something of a shouting match,' said Prince Turki.
The Saudi security forces are currently involved in an intensive operation to track down the last remnants of an al-Qa'eda cell that has been responsible for a number of devastating terror attacks in the kingdom.
'We have made significant progress in fighting al-Qa'eda in Saudi Arabia,' he said. 'Of the 26 known al-Qa'eda hardliners in the kingdom, we have killed or captured more than half of them.'
Prince Turki said that the Saudis were also keen to help stabilise the situation in Iraq. 'Much of the equipment we have seized during raids on al-Qa'eda cells has come from Iraq,' he said.
'There is no doubt that as a result of the Iraq war it is easier for al-Qa'eda to sell their point of view to potential recruits. Al-Qa'eda has become stronger and more active since the Iraq conflict.'
To counter this the Saudi government last week proposed setting up a Muslim peacekeeping force that would assist the interim Iraqi government to defeat the insurgents.
'We are making every effort to assist the new Iraqi government to establish itself. We want Iraq to be a positive influence on the region. We do not want it to be disruptive and negative as it was under Saddam Hussein.'
Why am I not surprised?
Ping
I don't trust the Saudis any more than I trust Fat Bastard.
Psssst Michael! Now YOU'VE pi$$ed off the Arabs. I'm pretty sure that the Saudi royals have a couple of car bombers on retainer. How much C4 does it take to blow away 280 pounds of shi+ eatin hairball?
"I don't trust the Saudis any more than I trust Fat Bastard."
I was thinking the same thing!
Prince Turki insisted that Saudi Arabia has been a key ally in Washington's long-running campaign against bin Laden's organisation. Hey Prince, how many Whabbis you got living in Saudi Arabia? If the answer is more than zero, the above claim by you is a bald face lie!
Well, I think the Monty Python gang said it best (The song "Never Be Rude to an Arab"):
http://www.mwscomp.com/sounds/mp3/nevrude.mp3
The art of lying practiced by the Koranimals is called Taquija. The Saudis are great at it. Just keep listening to the swine they call Prince Naif for more examples...
I'm amazed they have not claimed that Moore is part of the whole "zionist cabal conspiracy" - yet. Oh well, wait until they get back into tinfoil lined turban mode in... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1....
Saudi Prince Alaweed bin Talal has a horse farm in Lexington, KY.
A special airstrip allows landing of his private jet.
Many Saudis were in Lexington for the Keeneland fall (horse) sales
when 9/11 hit.
The tribe got as many family members to Lexington as possible (see
Tampa Tribune for Florida evacuations).
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/06/09/Tampabay/TIA_now_verifies_flig.shtml
When air travel was permitted, the private jet took off with the whole
bunch.
Psssst Michael! Now YOU'VE pi$$ed off the Arabs. I'm pretty sure that the Saudi royals have a couple of car bombers on retainer. How much C4 does it take to blow away 280 pounds of shi+ eatin hairball?
Problem is, the Saudis are likely to view him as the unclean pig he is and stay away from him. Would have been much better if he pissed off the Russians, Norwegians or Japanese, all of whom have considerable experience hunting down whales.
LOLOL
This is good, Moore and the Saudi's are on the same side and their fighting good news indeed.
Divide and conquer is what's beginning to happen amongst the left and the islamikazi's.
The lefts embrace of muslims is temporary, libbies are dumb, but they'll figure out we just po them, while islam wants to kill them.
I guess I'm hoping for a battle to the death between FatBastard and the Saudis.
MAYBE WE COULD SEND MOORE OVER THERE SO HE AND SAUIDI COULD TALK ABOUT THIS ! ! HINT ! HINT !
Somebody should sue the fat ba$tard.
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