Gary Fitleberg, December 22, 2004

Saudi Arabia recalled its Libyan ambassador over an alleged plot to assassinate Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah.

The move is the latest sign of a deterioration in ties between Saudi Arabia and Libya, which denies the accusations.

"The procedure we took is to recall the Saudi ambassador from Libya and ask that Libya withdraws its ambassador," Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told reporters. "A memorandum will be handed over to the Libyan government today."

In March last year, Libya's top executive and legislative body said it would recall the country's ambassador to Saudi Arabia in protest at a public argument between Crown Prince Abdullah and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

That spat sparked protests in Tripoli, where thousands of Libyans poured into the capital and tried to break into the Saudi embassy. In a sign of reconciliation, Gaddafi later said he opposed downgrading diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.

Prince Saud said the kingdom's latest move was a restrained response to an "atrocious" incident.

"This is because we appreciate the brotherly Libyan people, especially since the haj (pilgrimage) is near and we don't want any obstacles to impede Libyan pilgrims," he said.

A U.S. court sentenced the prominent U.S. Muslim activist Abdurahman al-Amoudi in October to 23 years in jail for illegal financial dealings with Libya and for his role in the plot.

Amoudi, founder of the American Muslim Council and head of the American Muslim Federation, said in court documents he had contacted Saudi dissidents in London on behalf of some Libyan officials to kill the crown prince, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler.

The United States, backed by Britain, asked the United Nations on Tuesday to freeze the assets of an exiled Saudi dissident, Saad al-Fagih.

Prince Saud said the request was connected to the "Libyan conspiracy ... the kingdom has suffered from".

Fagih heads the London-based Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia, which says it aims to topple the monarchy by peaceful means. He said the U.S. move was an attempt to appease the Saudi royal family.

Saudi officials accuse Fagih of exploiting social and economic discontent to further a radical Islamic cause. His group has recently called for demonstrations in the kingdom, but they failed to materialize after blanket security precautions.

The United States has listed Fagih as a "specially designated global terrorist", accusing him of providing support to Al Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden.

Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs.

Copyright © 2004 Gary Fitleberg