The U.S Assistant to the President of Homeland Security and Combating Terrorism Affairs, Frances Fragos Townsend paid a visit last night to the Islamic Center in Washington where she was received by the Director of the center, Dr. Abdullah Khoj. Townsend said that she will brief President George W. Bush on the issues which concern the Muslim minority here. She told SPA that the visit was requested by her and thanked the Islamic Center for the warm welcome. She added that President Bush has a very deep faith and respects those who have deep faith and this will be a joint ground between believers and him. Replying to a question about the U.S-Saudi cooperation in the field of combating terrorism, Townsend said that she visited the Kingdom many times during the last two years and represented President Bush in the International Conference of Combating Terrorism, held in Riyadh last February, and delivered a speech in which she said that Saudis must be proud of their security forces which work hard to provide security for them. On his part, Dr. Khoj said that this visit reflects the U.S government's desire to benefit from the views of American Muslims to overcome problems in order to ensure the national security. He added that this meeting, as Townsend said, is the beginning of a series of others to enhance dialogue and establish a trust between Americans and the Muslim minority. Dr. Khoj hailed the two visits paid by President Bush to the Center, one of them came after one week of 11th Sept. attacks, and highlighted their positive influence.
