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Saudi Leader: No Change in Relations with US VOA News 29 Jan 2002 13:34 UTC 
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah says his country's relationship with the United States has not changed in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
However, Crown Prince Abdullah says he is concerned about America's credibility in the region because of what he calls the indefensible U.S. position in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Saudi crown prince, who is the kingdom's de-facto ruler, made the remarks during an interview with The New York Times and Washington Post.
Crown Prince Abdullah has run Saudi Arabia since his half-brother, King Fahd, was incapacitated by a stroke in the mid-1990s.
Crown Prince Abdullah said relations between Riyadh and Washington have been strong for more than six decades, adding that he sees no reason to change that state of relationship.
He also said no discussions are underway about the future of an estimated 5,000 U.S. troops stationed at bases in Saudi Arabia.
There has been some strong criticism of Saudi Arabia in the United States since the September 11 attacks, particularly after 15 of the 19 suspected terrorists were identified as Saudi citizens. They were members of the al-Qaida terrorist network of Osama bin Laden, who is Saudi-born but stripped of his citizenship years ago. Some analysts argued that Saudi Arabia's Islamic system fostered militants who chose terrorism to advance their version of Islam.
Crown Prince Abdullah described the militants as "deviants," and said "a deviant is a deviant regardless of nationality." He said Osama bin Laden's objective was to drive a wedge between the kingdom and the United States, and he picked young Saudis, brainwashed them, and programed them for an evil cause.
During the interview, Crown Prince Abdullah spoke passionately about the plight of Palestinians under Israeli occupation. He said the images of children being shot, buildings being demolished, and territories being closed are the causes that lead people to become violent. Crown Prince Abdullah said the United States "has a duty to follow its conscience to reject repression" of Palestinians.
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