[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 48 (Thursday, April 25, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3422-S3423]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              SAUDI ARABIA

  Mr. BIDEN. Madam President, today the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, 
Prince Abdullah, met with President Bush in Crawford, TX. Based on the 
reports from that meeting, there were several items on the agenda, one 
of which was the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, and 
the other was the nature of the Saudi-U.S. bilateral relationship.
  A report this morning in the New York Times said that the Crown 
Prince intended to deliver a ``blunt message'' to President Bush. 
Apparently, a Saudi official indicated after that meeting that oil 
would not be used as a weapon. Earlier, an unnamed Saudi official said 
that we, the United States, may face a ``strategic debacle'' unless we 
alter our relationship with Israel.
  There is nothing wrong with blunt messages and blunt talk between 
friends. I am confident the President of the United States was equally 
blunt in the message he delivered. No doubt the Crown Prince discussed 
ways to advance his initiative with regard to Israel, a breakthrough 
that I publicly stated several times in recent weeks has not been fully 
appreciated by the world.
  The Saudis had endorsed unanimously at the Arab League meeting last 
month in Beirut a plan that holds out hope for normal peaceful 
relations between Arab States and Israel. However, laying down that 
plan is not enough. It is time for more mature leadership.
  We have been asked by the rest of the world and the Crown Prince to 
take an active role in supporting this plan. That is fine. However, I 
add, I hope the President discussed what active role the Saudis should 
take in dealing with peace in the Middle East. When the Crown Prince 
goes home, what concrete steps will he take to move the process 
forward, to create a new environment that builds trust and hope for a 
political settlement?

  I am troubled by the apparent disconnect between the initiatives for 
peace taken by the Crown Prince and his nation and the contradictory 
behavior that is prevalent in Saudi Arabia and its policies. For 
example, in March the Saudi newspaper, Al-Riyadh, carried a vile, anti-
Semitic article by someone claiming to be a professor. The article 
resurrected the centuries-old blood libel that civilized people would 
have thought was a thing of the past. This Saudi professor, in a 
leading Saudi newspaper, wrote for the Jewish holidays: ``Blood must be 
taken from a non-Jew, dried, and mixed with dough to make pastries.'' 
It goes on to say that using human blood in pastries was a ``well-
established fact historically and legally throughout the history of 
mankind and that this was one of the main reasons for the persecution 
of Jews and the exile of Jews in Europe and Asia at different times.''
  Finally, the article says: ``The needles enter the body extremely 
slowly causing immense pain that gives the Jewish vampires extreme 
pleasure and they closely monitor this bloodletting in detail with 
pleasure and enjoyment that is beyond comprehension.''
  That is printed in a leading Saudi newspaper. The editor of that 
paper says that he was out of town when this article appeared, and 
later wrote that it was unworthy of publication.
  Forgive me if I have a hard time believing that the article simply 
slipped through the cracks and that it was a fluke. I can believe many 
things about Saudi Arabia, but freedom of the press is not one of them. 
This article was published because no one who saw it believed that it 
contained anything offensive or untrue.
  Imagine the outrage in Riyadh, in Cairo, in Amman, in the United 
Nations, and elsewhere if a Jewish professor published an article in an 
American paper saying that Muslim holiday feasts were prepared with the 
blood of ritualistically sacrificed Jews? Can anyone imagine what the 
Saudis would expect of the President of the United States, what the 
Saudis and the rest of the civilized world would rightly expect of all 
United States Senators who had nothing to do with it being published, 
but saw it published? The civilized world would demand of us, as they 
would have a right to, that we, the leaders of this country, stand up 
one at a time and disavow these vile, vile, vile diatribes.

  What did people expect of us, and what did our President do, when a 
group of mostly Saudi citizens killed thousands of Americans on the 
11th? The President did the right thing. He stood up and he said: This 
is not about Saudi Arabia, this is not about Muslims. He did the right 
thing.
  I wonder what would have happened had it been the reverse. I wonder 
what would happen.
  It is time for some mature leadership here. It is not enough just to 
lay down a good plan--and it is a good plan the Saudi Crown Prince laid 
down and which was adopted in Beirut. What would the Saudis expect us 
to say, though, were the roles reversed? What action would they demand 
of the President if in fact such vile lies were printed about Muslims 
and Saudis in an American paper? And what would the rest of the world 
have us say about such slander, in a country where there is freedom of 
the press, the United States?
  Another example of this disconnect that baffles me is the recent 
telethon, ordered by King Fahd, which, according to press reports, 
raised over $85 million for families of so-called Palestinian martyrs. 
According to the Saudi Government, these people are defined as people 
``victimized by Israeli terror and violence.'' But in the common 
parlance of the region, this term often refers to suicide bombers.
  In the aftermath of September 11, in which 15 Saudis engaged in the 
most deadly suicide attacks in history, one would hope the Saudi 
Government might think twice before offering financial incentives for 
so-called martyrdom.
  Imagine if the President of the United States and the Members of the 
Congress contributed to a telethon for someone who walked into a hotel 
in Riyadh and killed 100 Muslims. What would we say? What would we be 
expected to say? What would we think? What would happen if the 
President of the United States said: We condemn it, but we understand 
the frustration of the Saudi people, in having no democracy? We 
understand the frustration of the Jewish people, being victims of 
suicide bombing? It would be an outrage, an outrage. And the whole 
world would say: Where is the moral leadership of the United States?
  But the Saudi support for the cult of martyrdom is not restricted to 
offering financial incentives. Recently the Saudi Ambassador to the 
United Kingdom wrote a poem entitled ``The Martyrs.'' The poem appeared 
in Arabic language newspapers and praised Palestinian suicide bombers, 
particularly a young deranged Palestinian woman from a refugee camp who 
killed herself and two Israelis on March 29. The Ambassador refers to 
her as ``the bride of loftiness.''
  This is written by the Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

     She embraces death with a smile
     while the leaders are running away from death . . .

  He goes on to say:

     We complained to the idols of a white house whose heart is 
           filled with darkness.

  Given the opportunity to renounce this poem, a Saudi spokesman said 
on United States television:

       The ambassador is a very well known poet . . . he was 
     expressing the anger and frustration people feel.

  Give me a break. That is not good enough. I personally met with this 
spokesman, who is a fine man. I expected more from a man as educated 
and sophisticated as Mr. Al-Jubeir. If an American diplomat wrote a 
poem--

[[Page S3423]]

if the Ambassador from the United States to England wrote a poem 
extolling terrorism and attacking the leader of an ally, the President 
of the United States would have his or her head on a platter the next 
day. They would be fired.

  What would happen if an ambassador of the United States to another 
great country wrote a poem that extolled the virtues of some Saudi 
citizen who--like bin Laden--attempted to assassinate or was engaged in 
a plot to do harm to the royal family? What would the Saudis expect of 
us? What would the Saudis, or any civilized nation, expect the United 
States President to do? They would expect him to do exactly what he 
would do: Fire the person on the spot, and vocally, in more than one 
language, disavow the poetry.
  Since September 11, we have become all too familiar with the term 
``madrassa,'' a term probably few had ever heard of in the United 
States. We have learned that madrassas are religious schools. We have 
learned the extent to which funds from Saudi Arabia have supported 
madrassas, over 7,000 of them in Pakistan and in Afghanistan. We have 
learned that many madrassas indoctrinate children with distorted and 
hateful ideas.
  But now we have learned that the problem with education is not simply 
outside of Saudi Arabian borders, but within the kingdom itself. 
According to an article in last October's New York Times, 10th grade 
textbooks in Saudi Arabia warn students to ``consider the infidel their 
enemy.''
  Saudis claim such quotes are taken out of context, but in what 
context is religious prejudice acceptable?
  Of course, hateful diatribes and words of incitement also are found 
in Palestinian textbooks.
  While Arafat is talking about peace in Oslo, the textbooks in the 
West Bank talk about ``the hated Jew.'' And they have long been 
accompanied by schoolroom maps in the Middle East that pointedly do not 
show, even on a map, Israel as a state. When our Saudi friends argue 
their support and funding for Palestinian causes is for humanitarian 
and educational purposes, I think it is fair to ask why they continue 
to turn a blind eye toward this fomenting of hate that exists in their 
region and their country.
  I mention these examples to illustrate why there is a disconnect when 
we hear Saudi leaders talk of making peace with Israel.
  Peace will not happen by itself. It has to be nurtured. Certainly 
those Arab nations we put in the moderate camp ought to prepare their 
people for the ``normal, peaceful relations'' they espoused in Beirut. 
If the Crown Prince means what he says about normal, peaceful relations 
with Israel--and I believe he does--then it is time for his government 
to prepare Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arab world for this new 
day. No responsible leaders want to see bloodshed continue in the 
Middle East. We all want for it to end immediately. All of us would 
like to see a peaceful settlement. To make it happen, everyone--
everyone--must shoulder responsibility.
  It is time for big nations and serious leaders to stand up, to stand 
up and speak the truth. It is time for nations with the ability to 
directly influence events to exercise simply mature leadership.
  I am not expecting the Saudis to all of a sudden take a pro-Israeli 
position. But I am expecting, I do demand of them as a civilized nation 
and a mature country, to do the right thing.
  The United States must do its part, too. I have urged the 
administration to increase its involvement, not only in resolving the 
current crisis but also convening an international peace conference 
that would move the parties quickly to a political solution or at least 
provide a political horizon.
  The Arab world must demonstrate mature leadership as well. It cannot 
simply demand that the United States abandon Israel, something we will 
never do.
  Let me say that again: Something we will never do. Over my dead 
physical political body will we ever abandon Israel. But that does not 
mean we believe everything Israel does is right. It does mean, though, 
we will fight for Israel's right to exist within secure borders.
  Mature leadership means taking risks and confronting those forces 
that hinder progress--not abetting those forces.
  Mature leadership means condemning terrorism--not extolling the 
virtues of ``martyrdom.''
  Mature leadership means halting the flow of funds to terrorists--not 
providing financial incentives for more terror.
  Mature leadership means creating an educational system that provides 
the foundation for future progress--not text and textbooks that promote 
religious bigotry.
  Mature leadership means being responsive to the legitimate demands of 
one's citizen for political openness and transparency--not stifling 
dissent and exporting your problems elsewhere.
  Mature leadership means sitting down with the Israelis and talking 
peace--not treating them as pariahs.
  I find it fascinating that the President was criticized for 
authorizing and directing the Secretary of State to sit down with the 
person who many Israelis consider a pariah and who many of us consider 
a pariah--Yasser Arafat. The Saudis thought that was essential. Why 
will they not sit down? Why will they not sit down with a man who is 
the elected leader of Israel, regardless of whether or not they think 
on the West Bank he is a pariah as many Israelis and Americans think is 
the case with Mr. Arafat?
  The President has shown mature leadership. I may disagree with his 
approach, but why is it expected of us and not of them?
  As the birthplace of Islam and the land of the holiest Muslim sites, 
Saudi Arabia has a critical role to play in resolving one of the most 
intractable conflicts of our time.
  This is an opportunity for the Saudi Royal Family to make a real 
contribution to peace. They have taken the first steps with bold action 
that holds out hope for peace as they presented their peace plan.
  Now let them take the next step of mature, consistent leadership. Let 
them denounce the Palestinian leadership that uses terror to gain 
political leverage. Let them denounce hateful language. Let them 
denounce the incitement to violence in textbooks and in the media.
  I hope they will take the next step so the Saudi initiative will not 
become just another missed opportunity--an interesting footnote in 
history.
  I hope our relationship with the Saudis can improve. I hope the Saudi 
Arabian citizens can begin to enjoy the freedom they deserve.
  But these things can only occur with farsighted, mature leadership.
  There has never been a time when we have needed such leadership more 
than it is needed now. I hope that kind of leadership will enable our 
two countries to move forward together to achieve progress and peace--
not just for the Israelis and Palestinians but for all the people of 
the Middle East.
  I urge the administration to increase its involvement--not only in 
the present circumstance but beyond.
  Let us be honest. This is a historic opportunity. The Saudis have 
made a significant proposal. I beg them, do not squander the 
opportunity to be remembered for the century as the party and the force 
that was the catalyst for bringing an end to the suffering of the 
people in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
  I yield the floor.

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