BLITZER: So what you’re saying now is the Saudi government is now on-board, cooperating. We heard Senator Roberts say that there has been significant improvement. But as you know, there are a lot of critics of Saudi Arabia here in the United States. The National Review, a conservative publication, in their issue, the new issue that’s coming out, they write this:

“Old friends do not stay friends forever. The Saudi regime exports dissidents while fomenting a Nazi-like hatred of the other at home and throughout the Muslim world. They see the process of Iraqi rebirth as a threat to their own unreformed status quo, as well they should.”

That’s pretty strong words coming from a very conservative publication like the National Review.

AL-JUBEIR: I’m not surprised it was the National Review.

BLITZER: Why aren’t you surprised?

AL-JUBEIR: Ever since September 11th, the National Review has made it a mission to be disparaging toward Saudi Arabia, to try to malign Saudi Arabia, to try to twist the facts to make certain cases. I can’t read their mind and what motivates them, but what I do know is they are totally wrong.

Saudi Arabia, when it comes to Iraq, is very concerned about the unity of Iraq and the territorial integrity of Iraq. We want what’s best for the Iraqi people. We believe that the Iraqi government should be a representative government that represents everybody. If the Iraqis have democracy, we would welcome it, because democracies do not attack you. So this notion that Saudi Arabia doesn’t want to see democracy in Iraq is nonsense.

With regard to incitement and exporting dissidents, and so forth, what do they base this on? We have tracked evildoers. We have worked in terms of our mosques to remove or reduce incitement. We have made great progress in terms of what is being said in our media. I think if there is any incitement, it’s coming out of the National Review itself.