Washington, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton joined Frank R. Lautenberg (NJ) and 15 other Senators to urge President Bush to protest the meeting of Saudi rulers and condemn the embargo. This week, a meeting will take place in Saudi Arabia to promote the trade boycott of Israel, which is expected to include representatives of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“Saudi Arabia has made a public promise to end its unjustified trade embargo of Israel. President Bush should insist that Saudi Arabia meet its obligations,” Senator Clinton said.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference is hosting 57 nations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia next week for a conference aimed at strengthening the boycott against Israel.

In a letter to President Bush, the Senators noted that Saudi Arabia had promised last November that it would stop participating in the embargo, and added, “You should urge the Saudi rulers to keep their word, cancel this meeting, and end the boycott immediately.”

Saudi Arabia was admitted last year to the World Trade Organization (WTO), which forbids members from engaging in trade boycotts against fellow members. By supporting the trade embargo, Saudi Arabia is failing to live up to its responsibilities as a member of the WTO.

In addition to Senators Clinton and Lautenberg, the following Senators also signed the letter to President Bush: Jeff Bingaman (NM), Barbara Boxer (CA), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Christopher Dodd (CT), Byron Dorgan (ND), Tim Johnson (SD), Edward Kennedy (MA), Jon Kyl (AZ), Carl Levin (MI), Robert Menendez (NJ), Barbara Mikulski (MD), Bill Nelson (FL), Ken Salazar (CO), Paul Sarbanes (MD).

[The Senator’s letter to President Bush is attached below]

George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Bush,

We are writing to urge you to protest the decision by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to host a meeting next week in Jeddah to promote the trade boycott of Israel. Saudi Arabia is taking this action despite a public promise to you last November to drop the trade embargo. You should urge the Saudi rulers to keep their word, cancel this meeting, and end the boycott immediately.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which has its headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is hosting 57 countries at this conference next week. Saudi diplomat Salem el-Honi, High Commissioner of the OIC, recently described the purpose of the meeting in a telephone interview March 6th, 2006 with The Jerusalem Post as follows: “we will discuss coordination among the various offices to strengthen the boycott.”

On November 11th, 2005, the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled to admit Saudi Arabia into the WTO. As you know, the WTO rules forbid any member government to participate in a boycott of a fellow WTO member. Israel is a member of WTO. Last month, in a Senate Finance Committee hearing, your trade representative, Rob Portman, said that the Saudis “have a responsibility to treat Israel as any other member of the WTO.” By calling for a strengthened trade embargo against Israel, Saudi Arabia is failing to live up to its obligations to treat all WTO partners equally.

Mr. President, the United States cannot remain silent on Saudi Arabia’s intolerant boycott of Israel, nor should the U.S. allow the continued membership of Saudi Arabia in the WTO if they continue to violate WTO rules.

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