Arab News Staff Writer

RIYADH, 19 March 2004 — The Kingdom yesterday voiced disappointed over US criticism of its arrests of Saudi reformists, saying the detentions were an internal security issue.

“The US State Department should have consulted us to learn the truth of the issue before its spokesman made his remarks,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The United States said Wednesday that Saudi Arabia’s detention this week of 13 prominent reformists was a step backward for political change in the Kingdom. However, there was confusion about the exact number of the activists detained. On Tuesday, a Foreign Ministry source spoke of “a small number of individuals.”

“We were disappointed over the US State Department’s statement about the Kingdom’s arrest of a number of citizens involved in acts of sabotage... and disorder at a time when the country is being attacked by terrorists and is in great need of unity,” said yesterday’s Foreign Ministry statement, carried by the Saudi Press Agency.

“The government considers this an internal security matter... that only concerns the Kingdom,” the statement said.

It said the detainees had been involved in “incitement and using the names of well-known and reputable people without their permission to create confusion.”

The reformists, who include professors, lawyers and writers, had planned to issue a statement criticizing the National Human Rights Association, which was formed last week. They also planned to announce the establishment of a parallel rights group.

Dr. Bandar Al-Hajjar, vice president of the NHRA, earlier told Al-Watan newspaper the independent human rights watchdog was “concerned” over the detention of the reformists.

Al-Hajjar added NHRA President Abdullah Al-Obaid was closely monitoring the situation from Geneva.

Commenting on the arrests, deputy US State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said Wednesday: “We are deeply concerned that a number of individuals who are peacefully supporting reform in Saudi Arabia have been arrested and imprisoned on March 16.”

The Saudi rejoinder to the US statement comes ahead of an anticipated visit to Riyadh by US Secretary of State Colin Powell tomorrow.