Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Minister of State for African Affairs Ahmed Kattan narrated the story of the circumstances that culminated in the expulsion of US Ambassador Hume A. Horan in 1988 by King Fahd for his misconduct.

The Monarch swore to the American envoy that he would not stay overnight in his headquarters in Riyadh, and expelled him to the Eastern Province and then outside the Kingdom, the minister said while attending a program of Rotana Khalijia television channel.

Kattan said that the American ambassador spoke inappropriately in front of King Fahd and that resulted in his expulsion. Unveiling the details and reasons for the expulsion, Kattan said that Prince Khaled Bin Sultan and Prince Bandar Bin Sultan were assigned to purchase Chinese missiles for the Kingdom.

Subsequently, the Israeli embassy in Washington expressed its resentment to the United States over the visit of Prince Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to the US, to the Chinese capital, while the prince justified their visit to China stating that it was aimed at buying weapons for Iraq in its war against Iran.

Kattan recalled that after the missiles arrived in Riyadh and filmed them, an American delegation came to meet King Fahd to lodge their protest over the purchase of these missiles, during which Horan spoke in a way that he should not have spoken to the Monarch.

“When King Fahd heard the American ambassador talking in a way such that no one else had spoken like that in front of him before, the Monarch swore by God that he would not allow him to stay overnight in Riyadh and so Horan was shunted to the Eastern Province from where he was expelled.”

The Saudi minister commented: “Show me any country in the world that was able to expel the American ambassador... King Fahd did it.”

It is noteworthy that the Washington Post newspaper had reported the story about the diplomatic row that broke out after the Saudi purchase of Chinese-made missiles.

In the story, titled “The ambassador who deceived the American intelligence”, the newspaper referred to the purchase of the Chinese missiles mainly through the initiative of Prince Bandar.