Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: More Saudi nose-thumbing

Friday, June 21, 2002 | 3:06 a.m.

REVIEWING THE TESTIMONY given before the Committee on Government Reform of the U.S. House of Representatives on June 12 isn't prescribed for people with weak stomachs or bad hearts. Never has anything in writing angered me as much as what Chairman Dan Burton, R-Ind., and his colleagues heard that day. The American girls and women who have been held by Saudi Arabia's laws must become an issue in our relationship with that oil-producing kingdom. The way the Saudis treat their own women is despicable, but the same treatment of children and women born in the United States can't be tolerated.

The testimony of Patricia M. Roush about the loss of her two daughters has been a living nightmare for all concerned during the past 16 years and it continues. The games played by our State Department with Saudi royalty is sickening. Just as disturbing, the State Department's use of U.S. Marines to usher the victims out of the embassy into the streets is almost unbelievable. That's not what some of America's finest are trained to do and that's not what they want to do. May I suggest that in Saudi Arabia the State Department hire some Saudi company to do its dirty work and not demand Marines do it.

While on the subject of misusing military people, let's ask another question. Is it true that Walter Reed Hospital and other military hospitals are used to give physicals to Saudi royalty and their wealthy representatives? If true, the General Accounting Office should be concerned and investigate the charges that came out in testimony.

The only U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia during the past 16 years to show any real compassion for Roush and her daughters was Raymond Mabus, a former governor of Mississippi. He took a strong stand and didn't back down from the royal family. Roush calls Mabus a hero. He was followed by former U.S. Sen. Wyche Fowler, who proved to be a complete sellout to the Saudis. Saudi princes have more power in our embassy than Americans. Not only do they have more power there, but it also extends all the way to Washington. Yes, and even to powerful ABC, where Roush's interview with Barbara Walters died a quiet death.

So how do these members of the royal family get and keep this power? According to Roush, they buy it. In her testimony, she quoted the Washington Post as follows:

"Americans who have worked with the Saudis in official capacities often remain connected to them when they leave public office, from former president George H.W. Bush, who has given speeches for cash in Saudi Arabia since leaving office, to many previous ambassadors and military officers stationed in the kingdom. In some cases, these connections have been lucrative.

"Walter Cutler, who served two tours as the U.S. ambassador in Saudi Arabia, now runs Meridian International Center in Washington, an organization that promotes international understanding through education and exchanges. Saudi donors have been 'very supportive' of the center, Cutler said. Walker, the former assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, is president of the Middle East Institute in Washington, which promotes understanding with the Arab world. Its board chairman is former senator Wyche Fowler, ambassador to Riyadh in the second Clinton administration. Saudi contributions covered $200,000 of the institute's $1.5 million budget last year, Walker said.

"Today, according to Reuters, Americans have 46 child-custody disputes with the Saudis. After hearing testimony, Rep. Edward Shrock, R-Va., told the press, 'The crown prince of Saudi Arabia doesn't mind coming and sitting in the Oval Office telling our president what he wants him to do. I think it's maybe time for the man in the Oval Office to call him and say: We want our kids back, and we want them back right now.' "

Rep. Benjamin Gilman, R-N.Y., said, "Not only do Saudis suffer at the hands of their own government, but so do American citizens in Saudi Arabia as well, and our government has done much too little to address this problem until now." I hope this means that changes will now be made in the State Department, Department of Defense, and the Oval Office.