Monday, May 22, 2006

"Saudi Arabia has assured the United States it no longer enforces the Arab League boycott of Israel, even though it attended a recent meeting in Damascus to discuss ways to tighten it, a top U.S. trade official said in remarks released on Monday. "We have raised this issue directly with senior Saudi officials on several occasions, both in Riyadh and in Washington," Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said in written responses to questions raised by members of the Senate Finance Committee. "In all cases, we have received assurances that Saudi Arabia fully understands and remains committed to its WTO obligations, including the WTO obligation to treat all WTO members according to WTO rules," Schwab said."