Threat Closes Saudi U.S. Embassy

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Saudi Arabia will be closed on Monday and Tuesday owing to a threat against U.S. government buildings, the embassy said Sunday.

In a statement, the embassy said mission personnel will limit their non-official travel during the next two days and urged Americans to keep "a high level of vigilance."

"The American Embassy in Riyadh advises all American citizens living in Saudi Arabia that, in response to a threat against U.S. government buildings in the kingdom, the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and the U.S. consulate generals in Jiddah and Dhahran will be closed on Aug 8 and 9," the statement said.

It reminded Americans that in the past terrorist groups have targeted housing compounds and other establishments where Westerners may be located.

"American citizens are ... advised to exercise caution and maintain good situational awareness when visiting commercial establishments frequented by Westerners or in primarily Western environments," the statement added.

It was the second warning in two weeks.

On July 25, the embassy warned Americans that militants are likely plotting new terror attacks in the kingdom. It said that U.S. military personnel stationed in Saudi Arabia have been instructed to suspend all non-duty related leisure travel outside of their work or housing stations.

Since May 2003, Islamic militants have carried out numerous suicide bombings, including on Western housing compounds, and kidnappings and have regularly battled security forces. The attacks have been blamed on the al Qaeda terror group and its allies.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Prince Saud said Sunday that relations between the Saudi and U.S. governments have improved tremendously since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on New York and Washington, in which 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis.

But, on the unofficial level, ties have not returned to the degree of trust that existed before the attacks, he said.

"The relationship has tremendously improved," Saud said at a news conference. "Whether it has returned to the same level as it was before in public opinion in the United States is debatable."

"We are doing everything that we can to help and encourage the trust that existed before between the two countries in public opinion."

Saud said U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's recent trip to the kingdom to offer his condolences on the death of King Fahd "could only help" improve ties.

Relations between Riyadh and Washington suffered after the Sept. 11 attacks, which were masterminded by the Saudi-born Osama bin Laden. Some U.S. officials blamed the kingdom's austere branch of Islam, known as Wahhabism, for encouraging hatred of the West, Christians and Jews. Saudi Arabia felt it was being unjustly blamed for the actions of bin Laden, who seeks to topple the Al Saud monarchy.

"The objective of the whole action of the terrorists in that horrendous act of murdering and mayhem of innocent people was to create this split," he said.

Saud said there would be no change in the kingdom's domestic and foreign policies under King Abdullah, who succeeded the late King Fahd on Monday.

He said the kingdom wants the "strongest possible relationship" with its neighbor, Iraq.

"We are not looking for a role to play in Iraq," he said. "We are willing to act in a manner that is helpful to Iraq from the Iraqi perspective if they so wish."

Saud reiterated that there is continuous cooperation and contact between Saudi Arabia and Britain on terrorist-related issues.

"There's a committee working here to pass information back and forth," said Saud, when asked if the kingdom is passing information to Britain on a possible Saudi connection to the July bombings in London. "I'm sure there (is) some information that may be linked to the events in England."

The minister said Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf, the kingdom's envoy to Italy, has been nominated to replace Prince Turki as ambassador to London. Turki has been named ambassador to Washington.