The Saudi government has invested $17.6 million into public relations programs in the United States in a bid to demonstrate to Americans the Kingdom’s commitment to fighting the war on terrorism, said the US Justice Department.
Television ads on CNN, ESPN, MSNBC and Fox News have been portraying Saudi Arabia as a modern nation aligned with US interests, reported AP. The campaign is meant to discredit the Kingdom’s terrorist-harboring reputation. Some 15 out of the 19 hijackers involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US were Saudi citizens.
The majority of the money is financing television, radio and print ads in the top 20 markets across US. “Despite all of the attention we have received, few people know what Saudi Arabia looks like or appreciate how far we have come in the last thirty years. We are a modern nation with normal people living normal lives,” Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, Prince Bandar Bin Sultan.
The rest of the funds are used to hire established law and lobbying firms. Last year, law firm Patton Boggs was paid $456,000 to lobby on Capitol Hill and Dutton & Dutton were paid $625,000 to monitor Middle East congressional and administration policies.
“The terrorists responsible for the recent tragedies in Riyadh reminded us that there are no distinctions to race, religion, or nationality in such horrific acts. We are in the same boat. And we must work together to destroy them,” said Prince Bandar in a statement released after the May 12, 2003 terrorist bombing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
