Diplomacy In The Hijackers’ Home

Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, has a slightly different way of solving the current crisis. Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told a European Union delegation last week that the war on terrorism should be linked to a peace settlement between Palestinians and Israel. That, he said, would shorten the campaign against terrorism to three years instead of 10. The prince admitted, however, that many Saudis had gone off to the other side. The Shehhi tribe of the impoverished southwestern province of Asir had provided some of the 10,000 fighters in the Afghan war against the Soviets. Many remained to fight alongside Osama bin Laden, who is virulently opposed to U.S. bases in Saudi Arabia. Variants of the name al-Shehhi are readily evident among the Sept. 11 hijackers.

–By Rebecca Winters. Reported by James Graff/Riyadh and Scott Macleod/Cairo