Embassy spokesman Nail Al-Jubeir was interviewed on CNN this morning about the new radio advertisements that have been airing in 19 states. Asked why the ads were necessary, Al-Jubeir said: “We want to put to rest the charges that have been lingering around since 9/11 that the Saudi government or Saudi officials have funded terrorism or extremism. I think the 9/11 report from the Commission vindicated us on this, and we want to make sure that people in this country are aware of it.”

One of the ads directly addresses the claim that filmmaker Michael Moore makes in his documentary ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ that Saudi nationals were allowed to leave the United States before air space was reopened after 9/11, pointing out that the 9/11 Commission had found no evidence to support Moore’s claims. Mr. Al-Jubeir affirmed, however, that the radio ads “have nothing to do with Michael Moore’s film. It has to do with the report. Our view is, ‘this is what the report says’.”

On the war on terrorism, Mr. Al-Jubeir stated that the Kingdom had been cracking down on terrorists long before the Riyadh bombings, and that Al-Qaeda was after Saudi Arabia before it came after the United States, adding: “Al-Qaeda is on the run ……  I don’t think we’re out of the woods now, but I think we see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
[See transcript of CNN interview with Nail Al-Jubeir.]

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