Arab News Staff Writer

JEDDAH, 31 January 2004 — The Institute of Islamic and Arab Sciences, a Saudi-funded charitable institution in Washington, will not be closed in the wake of US decision to deport nine Saudi teachers working there.

“The deportation of these employees does not mean the closure of the institute or halting of its work,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted Ahmed Qattan, deputy chief of the mission at the Saudi Embassy in Washington, as saying. He said the institute would be transformed into an American charitable institution. “This will enable Saudis working at the Kingdom’s universities to get US visas and work at the institute,” he said.

“These employees who face deportation order could return and continue in their previous jobs. They can also visit the United States for any other purpose,” Qattan said.

According to reports the US State Department had given 16 Saudis, whose diplomatic visas were revoked, three weeks to leave the country. None of them were suspected of any wrongdoing other than a visa irregularity.

The institute’s nine affected employees were not entitled to diplomatic visas since they worked as teachers at the institute and were not employed by the embassy. “We gave them until Feb. 22 to clean up their affairs and leave the country,” State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters on Thursday. “We have done this before with diplomats of various nationalities.”

The Reuters news agency quoted a Saudi Embassy official as saying that the US regulatory measure would not affect bilateral relations.

US officials said the move was part of a general review since Sept. 11, 2001, of diplomatic visas issued to all countries. They said seven visas were revoked originally but the number had increased as the United States continued its review. More than 100 Saudis have US diplomatic visas, according to embassy data.

Qattan said the Saudi teachers at the institute had been registered with the US State Department as diplomatic officials and received A2 grade visas. According to the new US regulations, diplomats holding A2 visas must work inside an embassy. He said the State Department had asked the Saudi Embassy to send back the teachers, as they were not involved in any diplomatic work.