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Inside Politics

Lawmakers: Saudi Arabia allowed terror to thrive

Saudi diplomat decries 'finger-pointing'


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Paul Johnson Jr. was beheaded by his captors in Saudi Arabia.

Secretary of State Powell condemns the killing as barbaric.

CNN analyst: Beheading could backfire on terrorists.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After news of the beheading of American hostage Paul Johnson Jr. by al Qaeda militants in Saudi Arabia, two Democratic lawmakers denounced the kingdom Friday for not doing enough to rid itself of terrorists.

Rep. Richard Gephardt, a potential Democratic vice presidential nominee, told CNN that the Saudi government has fostered an environment that has led to terrorism.

"The royal family made a deal with the religious zealots," Gephardt said, adding that it has caused problems for the rest of the world.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg -- who represents Johnson's home state of New Jersey -- said Saudi Arabia has been lax in ousting terrorist militants.

"The Saudi Arabian government has shown too much patience for these terrorist cells and the ideologies of hate they preach. The United States will no longer tolerate Saudi neglect of the extremists and terrorists who live and thrive in the kingdom," the senator said in a written statement.

"All further relations with Saudi Arabia must be entirely contingent on the kingdom's progress cracking down, reigning in and snuffing out its terrorist problem," Lautenberg added. "Deeds -- not words -- must be the benchmark of Saudi progress in solving the terrorist problem that threatens its society as much as it threatens our own."

In response, Abel Al-Jubeir, who serves as foreign policy adviser to Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, told reporters at a news conference in Washington that "finger-pointing" is no way to deal with the problem of terrorism.

"It is unfortunate that you have people in the U.S., in particular in this town, who try to make political hay and say things that are irresponsible or say things that are not correct," he said.

"But that will not change the reality of the strong links between our two countries and of the strong cooperation between our two countries."

"And those in positions of influence know so. Those who are not, pontificate, unfortunately. And this town, especially during the month of June and July, is full of hot air," he said.

Al-Jubeir cited several areas of cooperation between the kingdom and the United States in the war on terror.

"Our two countries have very, very close relations in terms of intelligence-sharing and law-enforcement," he said. "And our two countries have engaged in very close coordination in this effort."

Al-Jubeir said American security personnel have been working in the kingdom with their Saudi counterparts for the past year.

"We're working this as one team," he said.

He said Saudi Arabia is "determined to do whatever we can in order to go after the terrorists," and noted the kingdom's beefed-up intelligence capabilities, financial controls in its banking system, stricter regulation of charities -- some of which are thought to have funneled funds to terror groups -- and larger numbers of security forces.

"We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to confront this evil and destroy it."

Lautenberg's statement said Johnson's killing should also re-energize global efforts against such criminals.

"The depravity of this act must be a call to all countries to band together to find and eliminate terrorists and their supporters wherever they hide or find refuge," his statement said. "We must force all nations to confront and reject the growing wave of hatred that is being bred against the West in the Middle East and in other parts of the world."


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