Saudi Arabia today dismissed as lies charges that it financed September 11th hijackers, and some newspapers said the allegations were an attempt by US hawks to get Saudi support for a possible war against Iraq.
The US Congress has begun an inquiry into a possible money trail from the Saudi government to two of the 19 hijackers who crashed jets into US cities, threatening to put a further strain on already sour ties between the two allies.
"These are nothing but lies and baseless words," Interior Minister Prince Nayef said in comments carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.
He said it was normal for Saudis to offer financial support to fellow nationals living abroad. "If they are going to make an accusation of every assistance extended by one Saudi to another, then there is a problem and this should not be the case".
A slew of anti-Saudi comments in the United States, after 15 Saudis were named among the hijackers, and Washington's perceived pro-Israel bias have angered Saudis and sparked rare calls in the kingdom to review ties with its key Western ally.
Some US politicians have called for similar action by Washington, particularly after a report for the Defence Department called the kingdom an enemy and funder of terrorism.