Ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia have come under increasing strain since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Suspicions about Saudi contributions to Islamic fundamentalist organizations and the kingdom's connections to international terrorism have raised questions about the durability of relations between Washington and Riyadh. Despite the recent friction, the mutual interests that have bound the two countries -- oil and stability in the Persian Gulf -- remain. Nevertheless, the Saudi government apparently faces a need to overcome its reluctance to crack down against extremists whose ultimate target is believed to be not the U.S., but the Saudi regime itself.

There has been concern about the Saudi connection to terrorism since it was discovered that 15 of the 19 terrorists involved in the 9/11 attacks were of Saudi origin. In addition, there have been charges that Saudi support for Islamic charities around the world -- which is substantial -- has been used to finance terrorism. There are also reports that donations for Palestinians have also financed terrorism against Israel. While many of those donors have been unaware of the ultimate use of their money, the CIA has reportedly drawn up a list of up to a dozen wealthy Saudis who are thought to be funneling millions of dollars to Osama bin Laden.

The most recent charge is that the wife of the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. gave charitable donations that ended up in the pockets of two of the Sept. 11 hijackers. Saudi officials have confirmed that while in California the men received money from two Saudi students, who had in turn received funds from Princess Haifa al-Faisal, wife of the Saudi ambassador to Washington. Princess al-Faisal sent the monthly checks to a Saudi woman living in the U.S. to help pay for medical treatment. Riyadh officials defended the donation, saying it is customary to assist Saudis in need, but denied that there was a deliberate attempt to finance terrorism.