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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 19, 2003

SCHUMER URGES PRESIDENT TO WITHDRAW OIL LOBBYIST NOMINATED TO BE US AMBASSADOR TO SAUDI ARABIA

Schumer: Oil industry lobbyist lacks the foreign policy experience needed to keep the Saudis honest in the war on terrorism

Schumer says Oberwetter nomination sends wrong message that US relationship with Saudi Arabia is only about oil

US Senator Charles Schumer today urged the President to withdraw the nomination of James Oberwetter to be Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Schumer said Oberwetter, a former oil industry lobbyist, does not possess the national security background the top American official in Saudi Arabia needs in the effort to compel Saudi cooperation with US anti-terror efforts.

"Saudi Arabia's record on fighting terrorism is right up there with Saddam's record on human rights. This is a country whose most respected families are responsible for financing al-Qaeda and whose government officials raise money for suicide bombers," Schumer said. "In a post-9/11 world, ambassadors play an increasingly important role. There's no country where that's more true than in Saudi Arabia."

In his letter to the President, Schumer wrote that although "Mr. Oberwetter’s resume is indeed impressive, he simply does not possess the proper experience for this challenging job. Nowhere in his career has he grappled with the pressing issues of terrorist financing and ideological extremism that will be at the top of the new ambassador’s agenda. Rather, his more than 25 years working on international oil deals and leadership of the American Petroleum Institute qualify him to be a top Department of Commerce official, not one of our nation’s most important actors in our fight against terrorists."

"In this post-9/11 world, Ambassadors have taken on an increased importance, especially in nations that must be our partners if we are to win the War on Terror. These American representatives must have a keen understanding of terrorism, its sources of support and ideological foundations. Despite his impressive oil industry credentials, Mr. Oberwetter does not fit this mold. Accordingly, I respectfully ask you to select another candidate as your choice for the next American ambassador to Saudi Arabia," Schumer's letter continued.

Schumer said the Saudi government is facing an unprecedented level of civil unrest, ironically created by its support for extremist Islam, both within and outside the country. The Saudis' financing of madrassa schools and charities have played a large role in creating an army of zealots intent on deposing the Royal Family. These extremists hate Royal Family so much that even the millions of dollars the family has reportedly sent to Al Qaeda and its affiliate groups as protection payments are no longer enough to keep these extremists at bay, as demonstrated by the recent attacks there.

"The only way to prevent this situation from deteriorating is for Saudi Arabia to confront the terrorists head on and bring an end to the flow of Saudi money to terrorist groups and madrassa schools outside the country that spread extremist Islam. While American officials reportedly indicate that Saudi Arabia has done much to clamp down on terrorists inside the kingdom, its efforts outside its borders are severely lacking. As a result, the job of the next ambassador to Saudi Arabia must be to compel the Saudis to change and end their support for Islamists in Pakistan, Southeast Asia and East Africa," Schumer's wrote.

For a copy of Schumer's letter to President Bush click here.

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