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Guest Commentary June 17, 2002
Freedom of American Citizens Should Be Our First Concern
The Honorable Dan Burton
The State Department has listed 46 recent cases involving American citizens held against their will in Saudi Arabia. The source of all these outrageous cases is Saudi law, which allows Saudi men to hold American women in the country against their will. While the Saudi government blames individual Saudi men for these cases, ultimately, it is the Saudi government that is refusing to issue exit visas to these Americans, and it is the Saudi government which should be held accountable. Therefore, to solve this problem, we must escalate this to the level of a state-to-state issue, and show the Saudi government that we will hold it accountable for its laws. We must also show that the Saudi government will be held accountable when it assists those who violate U.S. law. ...
[On June 12, 2002], the Committee on Government Reform heard testimony regarding American citizens who have been held against their will in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There was a bipartisan consensus among the Members of the Committee that the failure of the Saudi government to resolve these cases has caused considerable pain for the families involved and is detrimental to the U.S.-Saudi relationship.
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As I indicated at the hearing, I intend to do everything in my power to ensure that these American citizens are released and allowed to return home. I have specifically asked that President Bush raise the cases of Alia and Aisha Gheshayan, Amjad Radwan, and the other Americans who have been held in Saudi Arabia against their will with Crown Prince Abdullah, and insist upon the release of these women from Saudi Arabia. I have asked that the President consider denying or delaying visas to members of the families that have kidnapped American children, as well as visas for selected Saudi officials, until these cases are resolved. ...
The terrorist attacks on September 11 have caused many of us to reconsider relationships with counties that do not promote the sanctity of human life and the pursuit of freedom. The freedom and well-being of American citizens obviously should be our first concern, and should be a paramount issue in the relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. If Saudi Arabia is not willing to recognize the importance of American law and the rights of American citizens, it is difficult to see how Saudi Arabia will fully cooperate with the U.S. in the war on terror. Indeed, our inability to obtain the Saudi's cooperation on this matter does not bode well for our broader agenda in combating terror.
Dan Burton, a Republican, represents the 6th Congressional District of Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives. The above commentary has been adapted from letters Rep. Burton wrote to President Bush, June 12, 2002 and to the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S., June 13, 2002. To contact Rep. Burton, Click Here.
The above column has been distributed by PoliticsOL.com.
