NEWS TODAY • October 14, 2001

McKinney apologizes to Saudi for snub in N.Y.

Melanie Eversley - Cox Washington Bureau Sunday, October 14, 2001

Washington --- A Georgia congresswoman has stepped into the fray over New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's refusal of a $10 million gift for the families of victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Rep. Cynthia McKinney, a Democrat, wrote a letter of apology to spurned donor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia. McKinney wrote that she regretted Giuliani had turned down the offer over the prince's suggestion that U.S. policy in the Middle East was partly to blame for the attacks.

McKinney's letter, dated Friday and addressed to the Saudi Embassy in Washington, said Giuliani should recognize bin Talal's right to offer observations on developments in the Middle East.

"Whether he agreed with you or not," McKinney said, "I think he should have recognized your right to speak and make observations about a part of the world which you know so well."

McKinney added that "many of us here in the United States have long been concerned about reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch that reveal a pattern of excessive, and often indiscriminate, use of lethal force by Israeli security forces in situations where Palestinian demonstrators were unarmed and posed no threat of death or serious injury to the security forces or to others."

A representative for one national Jewish advocacy organization said Saturday that McKinney may have been misguided in writing the letter.

"I think that she just misses the point entirely that Giuliani was seeking to address," said Jess Hordes, Washington director of the Anti-Defamation League.

"I think the donation became an issue because he [bin Talal] tied the money to a suggestion that somehow we might be to blame for the terrorist action that took the lives of 5,000 Americans," Hordes continued. "That is an irresponsible and wrongheaded statement."

An Arab-American leader who knows bin Talal, however, says he is a very generous man who cares about New York City, having attended school and made major investments there.

"What happened in New York, I think, is almost a metaphor for what's wrong with our relationship with Arabs," James Zogby, head of the Arab American Institute, said Saturday. "This is a very good person who is probably more personally invested in the city of New York than almost any American investor."

In her letter, McKinney went on to say that many disparities exist between the quality of life in mainstream America and that experienced by the poor and people of color. She offered to guide bin Talal to charities that could use the $10 million.

"Although your offer was not accepted by Mayor Giuliani, I would like to ask you to consider assisting Americans who are in dire need right now," she wrote.

-- Anonymous, October 14, 2001

Answers

(sigh)

Some people just don't get it.

-- Anonymous, October 14, 2001

I'm not sure, from what I have read, that Jesse Hordes is correct in saying that the Saudi prince is saying that we were to blame for the terrorist attack. And believe it or not, I like McKinney, sort of, and don't think this letter was awful.

-- Anonymous, October 14, 2001

How dare she take it upon herself to apologize for someone else! Giuluani acted as an individual as far as I can see and has held himself accountable as such. If this prince guy has bucks to throw around, maybe it could be spent on cleaning up some of those land mines in Afghanistan. We are Americans, we can and will and have taken care of our own. Giuluani's leadership is a great example of our capabilities. As far as the point of princie being able to express his opinion, that is comparable to handing a bum a quarter, then telling him he sucks. Bad manners.

-- Anonymous, October 14, 2001

Rollcall:

From what I have read of the prince's remarks (which were possibly incomplete summaries) I do not regard them as insulting to us. There are Israeli actions which are part of the problem. There are of course Palestinian actions which are a much worse part of the problem; I am not excusing Palestinian terrorism in any way, shape or form.

-- Anonymous, October 14, 2001

It was nobody's decision to make but Rudolph Guiliani's, as the elected (and now greatly loved) Mayor of New York. Incidentally, the State Department backed Giuliani on his decision. What the prince said was not the right thing to say to a city whose emotions are still raw and is now going through an anthrax incident on top of everything else. Any subtle hint that the attack was deserved or justified is absolutely wrong and the donation, if accepted, would have legitimized the notion and would have been used as an excuse as evidence that Giuliani agrees with that reasoning.

This woman should mind her own business instead of trying to pimp for some charity. (And just what charity would touch that now-tainted money anyway? Think about that one!)

-- Anonymous, October 14, 2001