ACCESSION NUMBER:00000
FILE ID:96071001.NNE
DATE:07/10/96
TITLE:10-07-96  SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING ON BOMBING JULY 10

TEXT:
(Witnesses call for an examination of U.S. presence) (340)
By Saadia Siddique
USIA Staff Writer

Washington -- The problem of security in Saudi Arabia is "here to
stay," Richard Haass, director of national security programs and a
senior fellow of the Council of Foreign Relations, testified July 10
at a Senate hearing.

Haass was one of several witnesses who testified before the Senate
Select Committee on Intelligence on the need to continue examining the
U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia following the June 25 bombing.

The bombing indicates that the Saudi government is having domestic
problems and the U.S. should be aware of them, but "the country is not
in a revolutionary situation," Haass said. He suggested that the
United States maintain a low but "highly disciplined" military
presence in the area.

"Terrorism in Saudi Arabia is a structural problem and the U.S. needs
to make intelligence a priority," he warned. Haass added that both the
United States and Saudi Arabia need to create special channels of
communication at a senior level.

Former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Walter Cutler, also testified
on the importance of keeping a U.S. military presence in the region.

"We are here for our own vital interest," Cutler said. He suggested
that despite the bombings, the stability of Saudi Arabia was not
endangered.

Cutler also said that although he believes the United States has had
good cooperation from the Saudis, relations might improve if
intelligence work focused more on "understanding cultural
differences."

Mary Jane Deeb, Professor of Middle East Politics at American
University, proposed two theories on who could be responsible for the
bombing.

"The attackers may be agents of external powers or domestic opposition
groups," she said. She theorized that the bombing, if domestically
orientated, indicated an increase in opposition to the current Saudi
regime. She argued if that is the case, there is the possibility of
further attack.
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