http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=10401 Saudi Arabia, Libya in diplomatic row ISN SECURITY WATCH (23/12/04) � Saudi Arabia has withdrawn its envoy to Libya and asked Tripoli to recall its ambassador, as relations between the two nations reached a low over an alleged Libyan attempt to assassinate Crown Prince Abdullah. Addressing a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal announced the decision. "The decision we have made was to recall our ambassador from Libya and ask for the Libyan ambassador to be withdrawn. Saudi Arabia will deliver a memorandum to the Libyan ambassador in Riyadh asking him to leave. We have asked our ambassador in Tripoli to come home," Prince Saud said. Libya's foreign ministry has denied the existence of the plot. It said that the alleged plot, which first came to light in July, had been "proven incorrect". A Libyan Foreign Ministry spokesman said on al-Jazeera television that the government was "surprised that ... Saudi Arabia has decided to withdraw its ambassador from its brother Libya". In July, the New York Times reported that Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi had tried to have the crown prince assassinated. Details of the plot came to light earlier this year, when Abdul Rahman Al-Amoudi, a US Muslim activist, pleaded guilty to illegal financial dealings with Libya and testified that he had been involved in a Libyan conspiracy to kill the crown prince. A US court sentenced him to 23 years in jail for illegal financial dealings with Libya and for his role in the plot. Prince Saud said that Saudi Arabia was not planning any more steps other than withdrawing its envoy and asking Tripoli to reciprocate. Libya has said that it would take up the issue with the Arab League. "If the recall is because of this false charge about an assassination attempt on the crown prince, this has been denied and proven to be incorrect. Enough time has passed over this issue. Why wasn't the ambassador withdrawn at that time?" asked spokesman Hassouna Chaouch. "We will raise the issue with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa." The US State Department said the Libyan explanation was not sufficient to reach a definitive judgment on the matter. "I would say that the reports and the information has already impacted the speed at which we can move forward with Libya and will continue to until it's cleared up," said spokesman Richard Boucher. He said the issue was delaying steps to see Libya removed from the US list of terrorism sponsors. (By Ravi Prasad in Colombo) ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free! http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
