Saudis insist they’re fighting terror... Yea right...

In memo to Congress, Saudis insist they’re fighting terror

In a new document obtained by POLITICO, Saudi Arabia tries to counter growing criticism that it's soft on extremists.

By Nahal Toosi

Saudi Arabia is distributing to members of Congress an unusual white paper that details its counter-terrorism efforts, a move that the kingdom hopes will shatter U.S. perceptions that it has done little to fight extremists — and maybe even derail some anti-Saudi legislation.

The bound, 104-page document, a copy of which was obtained by POLITICO, appears to be the most comprehensive public account of Saudi anti-terrorism efforts to date. It covers three main areas: security measures aimed at terrorists, financial controls designed to disrupt their funding, and efforts to end radicalization in mosques, schools and other public forums.

The paper is a major piece of a broader Saudi public relations campaign aimed at blunting a growing chorus of criticism in Washington. The PR effort comes ahead of the expected de-classification of an infamous 28-page section of a congressional report that could raise new questions about the role of Saudi Arabia in the 9/11 attacks.

"Today, the kingdom is one of the leading nations in combating terrorism and terror-financing, and has been working closely with its allies on all fronts," the Saudis state in the white paper, which was being shared with lawmakers on Thursday. "Saudi Arabia shares the same terrorist enemies as the United States and has been fighting the same war on terror as its U.S. partner for over two decades."

Although 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis, the government in Riyadh has vigorously denied any role in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and the U.S. has never formally accused its important, oil-rich ally of complicity. U.S. officials have, in fact, praised the Saudis for their help in battling terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda, which aims to oust the Saudi monarchy.

Still, suspicions persist that there was some level of official Saudi involvement in the 2001 attacks, and just this week the Senate unanimously passed a bill making it easier for families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia if such evidence arises. Saudi Arabia’s adherence to a deeply conservative strain of Islam also continues to frustrate many Americans.

For a government not known for its transparency, the white paper is strikingly straightforward and relatively detailed. It lays out a host of actions the Saudi government has taken, by itself or in concert with allies, to battle extremism; many of the actions followed terrorist attacks in the kingdom in May 2003 and May 2004 that jolted the country.

For instance, the paper notes the government monitors 20,000 of Saudi Arabia's 70,000 mosques, it lists steps taken to ensure charities are not financing terrorism, and it says Saudi authorities have blocked nearly 400,000 websites "with the aim of blocking offensive content, including radical religious sites, that violates the principles of Islam and social norms."

A timeline of Saudi "counter-terrorism arrests and incidents" covering 2003-2016 is included, including the April 5 killing of a Saudi security officer that was claimed by the Islamic State terrorist network. The document relies heavily on unclassified U.S. sources of information, including the Treasury Department and the FBI.

Whether the document does much to dispel unhappiness with Saudi Arabia is hard to predict, especially during a U.S. presidential election season that has seen worries about Islamist extremism return to the forefront.

Some of the anti-Saudi sentiments in the U.S. are "based on fundamental misunderstandings of the kingdom, but many are grounded in fact," said Jon Alterman, a Middle East analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "A long paper may go some way to contesting some of the wilder accusations, but I can't imagine it will turn foes into friends, and I wouldn't underestimate the breadth and depth of Americans' concern that Saudi Arabia makes the United States less safe, not more. And I wouldn't underestimate the amazement of many Saudi officials that this is the case."

Both Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump have made comments or taken stands that have been seen as slaps against the Saudis in recent months. President Barack Obama also is reported to have called the Saudis “free riders” who rely too much on U.S. military aid.

Obama has threatened to veto the bill that allows lawsuits against the Saudis over the 9/11 attacks, arguing such legislation could expose the U.S. to similar lawsuits. But if the support in the House of Representatives is as strong as in the Senate, the president may change his mind or have his veto overridden.

The Saudis have warned they could sell off hundreds of billions of dollars in U.S. assets if the bill becomes law, even though many observers doubt they would take such a step. But supporters of the bill have rejected Saudi concerns. “If the Saudis did not participate [in the Sept. 11 attacks], they have nothing to worry about,” Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday. “If they did, they should be held accountable.”

Separately, the Obama administration, under growing pressure, is expected to declassify in the next few weeks 28 pages related to the Saudis from a 2002 congressional probe into the 9/11 attacks. The Saudis have said for years that they would support the release of the pages, but there is growing anger in Saudi circles over how their reputation is being affected by the latest push to declassify the information.

Former Florida Sen. Bob Graham, who helped author the original congressional report, has been especially aggressive in pushing the Obama administration to release the 28 pages. The Democrat told Yahoo! News in a story that posted this week that he believes the Saudi government is continuing to train and aid terrorists.