In a somewhat unusual move, Qorvis Communications, er, I mean the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, DC, has issued a press release demanding a public apology for allegations made in an oped.
The column in question was written by Daniel Pipes and appeared in last Tuesday's New York Sun. Says Qorvis, um, the Saudis:
On August 10, 2004, The New York Sun published an article by Daniel Pipes entitled 'The Saudis' Covert P.R. Campaign.' The article speculates that Saudi Arabia pays five Middle East experts to speak on its behalf as part of a program to educate Americans about U.S./Saudi relations. This is absolutely not true.
We hope that The New York Sun prints an immediate apology to former Ambassadors Walter Cutler and Richard Murphy, and to Sandra Mackey, Mary Morris and Samer Shehata, people who are devoted to building a greater understanding among the international community.
Neither the government of Saudi Arabia nor any public relations firm compensates these individuals for their activities. These esteemed experts on Middle East issues speak their own minds and on their own behalf.
That is total bunk and the Saudis know it. The fact is that Pipes is right. Check out this response, which includes an email from a Saudi PR flack clearly offering these individuals as people who can speak in support of the Kingdom. The Saudis may not admit that they are paying these guys directly for their work, but they are being paid in other ways.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 1:39 AM
