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News Archive 2003-04 NO. 06
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Invitation to Saudi prince to speak at Hall questioned
Turki denies allegations of ties to terrorism
by Eugene Oleynikov and Elizabeth Hendler
Special to The Setonian and News Editor
oleynieu@shu.edu, hendleel@shu.edu
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The School of Diplomacy and International Relations has invited Prince Turki al-Faisal Abdulaziz Saud, who has been charged in a civil suit with providing aid to the Taliban and al-Qaida terrorist networks, to speak at the university.
Prince Turki, the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United Kingdom and former head of Saudi General Intelligence for 25 years, will speak Tuesday, Oct. 14.
He is charged in a civil suit by the families of the 9-11 victims with providing material support to the terrorist networks. The prince will have counsel appear in court in his defense on Oct. 17, three days after his visit to Seton Hall.
Tentatively slated to speak on the future of the Gulf region, Prince Turki has been invited as part of the school’s affiliation under the United Nations “Dialogue Among Civilizations.”
The only previous international leader to speak on the dialogue at Seton Hall was the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad Khatami.
“The visit of the prince here is within the spirit of the dialogue to help bridge the differences between peoples, their culture, religion and politics,” Clay Constantinou, dean of the School of Diplomacy and International Relations, said.
He added that the prince is a high profile member of the royal family who will have insight into Gulf issues.
“I would expect that he will have some very interesting comments, observations and points of view about the Gulf region,” he said.
Provost Mel Shay commented: “He certainly has expertise to speak about what’s happening in the Middle East, and he could be insightful about al-Qaida and terrorism.”
Shay also believes that students are sophisticated enough to put the prince’s speech into context considering cultural, political and religious differences.
University administrators Msgr. Sheeran and Mary Meehan deferred comment on the issue. Attempts to contact Prince Turki were unsuccessful.
Hall Invited Prince
Constantinou says the prince was asked to speak by the Hall, but for professional reasons, the dean didn’t reveal how the school made first contact with him.
Constantinou says the school did not have knowledge of the allegations against the prince when he was asked to speak at the school.
The dean says he thinks that it will make the prince a more interesting speaker, though he would not comment on the legal allegations, noting that such comments would be speculative.
“This visit offers an opportunity for the prince to convey his story, his views and that of his government,” he said.
The prince will not be compensated for the speech, nor will he receive any academic award or honor, Shay said.
The school has not asked for nor been offered gifts from the prince, either, according to Constantinou.
The prince’s speech is not required to be pre-approved as a part of the dialogue. Details about the visit are still being worked out, though it is scheduled to take place in the Kozlowski auditorium at 3 p.m.
Turki Named in Book
on 9-11
Author Gerald Posner makes a case against Prince Turki in his book “Why America Slept - The Failure to Prevent 9-11.”
Posner alleges that Prince Turki acted as an intermediary between al-Qaida and Saudis when he organized meetings and provided al-Qaida with material and financial support in return for a promise to divert terrorist activities from Saudi Arabia.
In an Arab News publication, Turki responded to a review of the book he read in Time magazine.
“This information is totally false and groundless,” Prince Turki told Asharq Al-Awsat.
He says he has had no contact with bin Laden since 1990 and says he has never had contact with al-Qaida.
Posner was unable to comment on the prince’s visit, as he was requested not to appear in print until a magazine article on his book is published.
Attempts to contact faculty members who have read the book were also unsuccessful.
Controversial Speakers Common at Hall
The Saudi Prince is not the first political figure with alleged terrorist connections to speak at Seton Hall.
In 2001, students were addressed by President Khatami of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the leading state terrorism sponsor designated by the U.S. State Department. Khatami is also known for his conservative views of women.
In March 1998, Seton Hall hosted Gerry Adams, at the time head of the political wing of the Irish Republic Army - an internationally recognized terrorist organization.
Constantinou does not see it as the university’s intention to bring controversy.
“The yardstick that we use is not controversy,” he said. “The yardstick that we use is whether or not someone who comes here will be able to offer something, say something that is going to enrich our students and provide them with more knowledge and information.”
Shay noted the importance of speakers to the image of the university.
“I always have concerns when we have people visit because the image we project as a Catholic institution is very important,” he said.
“We have to consider mission, public image and perceptions against the freedom of speech,” he added.
Freedom to Speak
Stephen Push, a co-founder of Families of September 11 advocacy group, has no objections to having Prince Turki speak.
“I do respect the freedom of speech,” Push said. “(Prince Turki) does have a point of view on Middle Eastern policy. He has been the chief of Saudi intelligence and he is well qualified to speak on Middle Eastern issues.”
Constan-tinou noted that what the Prince chooses to say during his speech does not reflect the university’s views.
“We do not endorse nor reject their positions, views, statements or policies,” he said of speakers at the school. “Our job is not to take sides.”
Shay added that since the prince has not been convicted, he sees no problem in the speech.
“He has denied the allegations at the present time, and I don’t think we can stop somebody from speaking on the basis of allegations,” he said. “If he were found guilty, that could change my perception as to whether or not he should be here.”
Legal Accusations by 9-11 Families
Earlier this year, Prince Turki was served a summons by a Washington, D.C. federal court in relation to the $3 trillion civil suit filed in the form of a complaint in August 2002.
“[The lawsuit] has been brought on behalf of more than 3,000 plaintiffs who are 9-11 victims or family members of 9-11 victims,” explained Hanly & Conloy’s Andrea Bierstein, a lawyer working on the case. “It names more than 150 defendants and seeks to bring to justice the financial sponsors of terrorism who made the 9-11 attacks possible.”
The plaintiffs’ documents are based on investigations by lawyers for the 9-11 victims and as yet unpublished information from U.S. and other western intelligence agencies, according to the complaint.
Alleged Continued Contact with Terrorists
Ali Al-Ahmed, the executive director of the Virginia-based Saudi Institute, asserts a relationship existed between Prince Turki and Bin Laden in the 1980s and 1990s. The Saudi Institute is an independent think tank which reports to expose human rights violations, sponsorship of terrorism and incitement of hatred by the Saudi government.
“(Prince Turki) was personally involved with supporting groups that committed acts of terror,” Al-Ahmed said. “Some of the people he supported attacked the U.S. and killed Americans.”
Turki responded to similar allegations in an interview with Katie Couric on NBC Today in September of last year.
“If we had any indications that they (the 9-11 attacks) were imminent, we would have shared them with the United States immediately,” he said.
Saudi Arabia and the 9-11 Congressional Report
A joint House-Senate investigation into the 9-11 attacks allegedly describes the connection between Saudi officials and al-Qaida operatives.
There are 28 classified pages in the document which reportedly describe the Saudi government’s financing of terrorism, according to a New York Times article published in August.
Responding in an interview with the Independent of London, Prince Turki dismissed the allegations and demanded the report be declassified completely, making it possible for the Saudi government to challenge its findings.
Shay said that he believes there may be concern about the issue.
“Because the allegations are so serious and because they relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia has been so prevalent in the media, there is a lot of public concern,” he said.
Tense Times for Saudi-U.S. Relations
In addition to the accusations against Prince Turki, his visit maybe regarded as highly controversial, as it takes place amid increasingly tense Saudi-U.S. relations.
A number of terror-funding charges are brought by the U.S. lawmakers, federal authorities and independent investigators against Saudi businessmen and members of Saudi royalty, according to articles in the Washington Post in August and an article in Newsweek magazine in September.
Prince Turki went public on CNN in defense of his sister Princess Haifa al-Faisal, whose charitable donations ended up financing two Saudi 9-11 hijackers, according to the joint U.S. House-Senate Intelligence Committee in November 2002.
“For years, individuals and charities based in Saudi Arabia have been the most important source of funds for Al-Qaida; and for years, Saudi officials have turned a blind eye to this problem,” according to the independent report on terrorism financing sponsored by the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations published in the same month.
No Dismissal in Sight for Suit
Despite the Saudi pressure on the White House to hush the case by citing national security concerns, no evidence of such action has been made so far by the Bush administration.
The Prince filed a second motion to dismiss his case in August, after his first motion was denied by a U.S. district judge.
The defenses raised by Turki’s lawyers in the motion outlined why he thinks he shouldn’t be sued.
“He is claiming immunity both as a diplomat, because of his current position as Ambassador to Great Britain, and as an agent of his government, because of his prior position as head of the Saudi intelligence service,” said Bierstein. “He is also claiming that the issues raised in the lawsuit are too politically sensitive to be decided by a court.”
Bierstein says although Turki has denied the allegations in the complaint, he says if he did assist Bin Laden to spare attacks on Saudi Arabia, his action would not have been improper and shouldn’t be the basis of a suit against him.
“Plaintiffs believe that Turki has no immunity for these charges and that the case is appropriate for decision in court,” she said.
On Oct. 17, the Washington, D.C. Court will hear an argument on Prince Turki’s preliminary defenses, Bierstein said.
“He is permitted to appear through counsel and he has done that,” she said. “His lawyers will be in court to make arguments on his behalf.”
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