In response to Western claims that Saudi charities fund terrorism, the Kingdom has set up a special agency that will oversee the nation's fund raising abroad.
According to SPA, the Saudi National Commission for Relief and Charity Work Abroad will "protect Saudi charitable work from any harmful activities that might undermine it or tarnish its reputation.” The commission will announce its regulations following its official launch in the coming weeks.
The commission will be managed by a group of Saudi nationals known for their expertise in the field of charity work, stated a royal decree.
Saudi Arabia has been facing US pressure to prevent charitable donations from reaching Islamist activists abroad. Last month, the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United States asked the United Nations (UN) to add Saudi-based Al-Haramain Foundation to a list of groups whose assets are to be blocked as part of a financial squeeze on Osama Bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network. — (menareport.com)
© 2004 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
