BIN LADIN FAMILY PUBLICLY WASHES HANDS OF USAMA

C O N F I D E N T I A L RIYADH 000989


E.O.12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: KISL PTER SA
SUBJECT: BIN LADIN FAMILY PUBLICLY WASHES HANDS OF USAMA


1. CONFIDENTIAL -- ENTIRE TEXT


2. IN A FRONT PAGE ARTICLE IN THE FEBRUARY 19 ARABIC
LANGUAGE DAILY, AL-RIYADH, BAKR BIN LADIN, HEAD OF A
LARGE AND WEALTHY JEDDAH-BASED BUSINESS FAMILY, PUBLICLY
SOUGHT TO DISTANCE HIMSELF AND HIS CLAN FROM THE FAMILY
BLACK SHEEP AND INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC ACTIVIST, HIS
BROTHER USAMA BIN LADIN. IN THE ARTICLE, BIN LADIN
ANNOUNCED THAT THE FAMILY HAD NO CONTROL OVER AND NO
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACTIONS OF USAMA. A SIMILAR
ARTICLE APPEARED IN THE FEBRUARY 20 ISSUE OF THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE DAILY, SAUDI GAZETTE. EMBASSY PROVIDES THE
FOLLOWING TRANSLATION OF BAKR'S STATEMENT.


3. BEGIN TRANSLATION

ENGINEER BAKR BIN LADIN: USAMA BIN LADIN IS RESPONSIBLE
FOR HIS STATEMENTS AND HIS BEHAVIOR WHICH WE NEITHER
CONTROL NOR CONDONE.

IN LIGHT OF NEWS ITEMS RECENTLY CARRIED IN THE PRESS
CONCERNING USAMA MUHAMMAD BIN LADIN AND IN A DESIRE TO
CLARIFY THE POSITION OF HIS FAMILY, ENGINEER BAKR
MUHAMMAD BIN LADIN KABIR AL BIN LADIN ISSUED THE
FOLLOWING STATEMENT.

"I AND ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY--WHO NUMBER MORE
THAN FIFTY PEOPLE--EXPRESS OUR GREAT REGRET, SORROW, AND
DISAPPROVAL OF ALL OF USAMA'S BEHAVIOR, WHICH WE NEITHER
CONTROL NOR CONDONE. IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT USAMA
HAS BEEN LIVING OUTSIDE THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA NOW
FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS AND ALL OF THE EFFORTS WE HAVE
MADE TO BRING HIM BACK TO THE CORRECT PATH, WE CONSIDER
HIM SINGULARLY RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS STATEMENTS, ACTIONS,
AND BEHAVIOR, IF IN FACT HE DID THEM.

END TRANSLATION

COMMENT
--------------


4. WE ARE AWARE OF NO RECENT STATEMENT OR ACTION BY
USAMA THAT MIGHT HAVE TRIGGERED SUCH A REACTION. THUS,
IT IS VERY LIKELY THAT THIS DISCLAIMER WAS PROMPTED BY
THE PUBLIC ATTENTION FOCUSED ON THE BIN LADEN FAMILY AS
A RESULT OF PRESS REPORTS ABOUT THE RECENT ATTACK ON
USAMA'S RESIDENCE IN KHARTOUM.


5. THE FACT THAT BAKR'S STATEMENT WAS CARRIED ON THE
FRONT PAGE OF A MAJOR SAUDI PAPER SUGGESTS THAT IN
ADDITION TO THE BIN LADIN FAMILY, THE ROYAL FAMILY ALSO
ATTACHES GREAT IMPORTANCE TO PUBLICLY SEPARATING USAMA
FROM HIS ROOTS IN THE KINGDOM.


6. FOR JEDDAH AND KHARTOUM: EMBASSY RIYADH WOULD
APPRECIATE ADDITIONAL REPORTING THAT MIGHT HIGHLIGHT ANY
RECENT STATEMENTS OR ACTIONS BY USAMA--PERHAPS SINCE THE
ATTACK ON HIS RESIDENCE IN KHARTOUM--THAT MIGHT HAVE
PRECIPITATED THE PUBLIC DISAVOWAL BY BAKR AND THE FAMILY.


7. KHARTOUM - MINIMIZE CONSIDERED.


WELCH