Collins sponsors anti-terrorism measure

by Nicolas Parasie

WASHINGTON - Only weeks after Congress demanded Syria stop supporting terrorism, Sen. Susan Collins is co-sponsoring a similar bill for Saudi Arabia.

"We cannot allow countries that are supposed to be America's allies to play a double game, when they talk about cooperation but in fact are turning a blind eye on the financing of terrorists," the Maine Republican said Thursday.

The Saudi Arabia Accountability Act of 2003 introduced this week by Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., urges the Arab kingdom to halt its funding of terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Al-Qaida.

The Governmental Affairs Committee, which Collins chairs, held two hearings earlier this year during which officials from the FBI and the U.S. Department of Treasury testified about the Saudi funding of terrorist networks.Saudi Arabia was described as "the epicenter" of terrorism financing.

Collins said the Saudis have made some improvements to crack down on the flow of funds to terrorists since the capital of Riyadh was hit by devastating bomb attacks earlier this year. But she added that "it should not have taken the threat of terror attacks on Saudi soil to prompt the Saudis to act."

"It's important that we keep the pressure on," Collins continued, "because the Saudi record of cooperation on terrorism finance investigations has been very uneven, according to the briefings I have held."

Collins says that the bill will not be taken up any time soon, but that its introduction should send "a strong signal to the Saudi government" to stop Saudi citizens from funding terrorist networks.

"I would like to see for example the Saudis passing a law that says it is a crime for one of their citizens to provide financial support [to terrorist organizations]," said Collins.

If Saudi Arabia does not make a "sincere and sustained effort to crack down on sources of terrorist funding," then the bill would authorize President Bush to impose one or both of two sanctions. Bush could prohibit the export of certain arms to the country and Saudi diplomats in the United States could be restricted to travel within a 25-mile radius, a "standard sanction" according to Collins.