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A2, LOCALWORLD, The Coloradoan, Wednesday, December 4, 2002, www.coloradoan.com Saudi Arabia takes steps to cut off terrorist financing Iraq monarchy was waged by Crown Prince Abdullah's foreign policy adviser, Adel Al-Jubeir. Speaking at the Saudi Embassy, he depicted Saudi Arabia as a victim of an outrageous campaign that "borders on hate." He said Saudi Arabia itself was a target of Osama bin Laden, the Saudi expatriate and reputed mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, and was the first nation to freeze al-Qaida's assets, in 1994. The fact that 15 of the 19 alleged hijackers were Saudis was an attempt by al-Qaida to give the attacks a Saudi face to try to drive a wedge between the United States and Saudi Arabia, Al-Jubeir said. "We believe that people have been misinformed about Saudi Arabia and what Saudi Arabia has done, or frankly that people have lied about what we have done or what we allegedly have not done," he said.

A report issued at the embassy said Saudi Arabia had set up a commission to oversee charitable groups and had barred transfer of assets from one bank to another in cash. "We've pursued terrorists relentlessly and punished them harshly," Al-Jubeir said. More than 2,000 terror suspects have been questioned and more than 100 are in detention, the Saudi official said. The report said three al-Qaida cells had been broken up and 33 accounts totaling more than $5.5 million had been frozen. In all the investigations, Al-Jubeir said, "we have not found a direct link between charity from Saudi soil.

The Pentagon had grown so doubtful of Saudi aid that it has sought to replicate the Saudi air operations center on a smaller scale in the neighboring gulf state of Qatar. If the Saudis follow through, Pentagon planners will have gotten the bulk of the cooperation they had sought from an ally whose wariness stems largely from its citizens' opposition to a war in Iraq. The Prince Sultan base is a $1 billion facility built by the United States after the war and used to direct air strikes in Afghanistan. "We don't need facilities for troops on the ground" in Saudi Arabia, one senior U.S. official said.

The acquiescence by the Saudi ruling family followed mounting pressure from U.S. critics in Congress and elsewhere that began with the disclosure that 15 of the 19 Sept 11 hijackers were Saudi nationals and intensified with a recent disclosure that the wife of the kingdom's U.S. ambassador may have, knowingly or unwittingly, financially supported two of the hijackers. "If you're a Saudi, the prospects of being left out in the cold with a really hostile United States is not something they want, and I think at the end of the day they knew that," Cohen said. gency plans for Iraq call for the coalition to crush Saddam's military by striking from the north as well as from U.S.

bases to the south and, possibly, the west. Saudi Arabia is a western neighbor of Iraq. "Two-front wars are hard to fight. Three-front wars are even harder to fight," a senior U.S. official said.

"If we have to, we can come at him from any direction." The offer to use well-positioned military sites from a critical ally across Iraq's northern border came during Wol-fowitz's visit here. The primary goal of the No. 2 Pentagon official's visit, the first stop in a new Bush administration campaign to rally allies for a possible war, was to garner backing from the United States' most Western-leaning ally in the region. Speaking to reporters between meetings in Ankara before the Turkish foreign minister's comments, Wolfowitz seemed visibly buoyed. "It's been an excellent day," he said.

"I do feel that we have obtained a common understanding." The agreement with Saudi Arabia was perhaps less expected, although less critical for military planners. Threatened by Iraq in the gulf war, Saudi Arabia has remained re-iv-'tarst to agree to let coalition bombers attack its neighbor groups and terrorism." Last week, the Bush administration disclosed that working groups through the U.S. government were considering ways to tighten controls on the flow of money to terrorists worldwide. Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman, said, "The president believes that Saudi Arabia has been a good partner in the war against terrorism, but even a good partner like Saudi Arabia can do more." The U.S. drive is being undertaken with great care.

The administration wants support from Saudi Arabia in the event of war with Iraq. Two senior U.S. officials said last month that the Saudis had agreed to help, provided use of its territory was limited. Meanwhile, U.S. officials have said they are satisfied with Saudi efforts to halt the flow of money to terrorists.

"We are really very happy with the effort," Treasury Department spokeswoman Michele Davis said of Saudi oversight of donations to charitable groups. On Capitol Hill, Rep. Eliot En-gel, urged President Bush and the administration to take a close look at the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia. "It is hard to reconcile today's statements by Adel Al-Jubeir with the millions and millions of dollars that have flowed from Saudi Arabia into the bank accounts of terrorists, fundamentalist militants and the families of suicide bombers," Engel said in a statement.

"Their money is where their mouth is." sion of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Fort Collins remains labeled by the Environmental Protection Agency a nonattainment area for its air quality a leftover from the city's dirtier days more than a decade ago. The city's plan for keeping its air quality in good standing was sent to the EPA this summer. If approved, the city will be redesignated an attainment area just as Denver was in August, Still, Dann acknowledges the fight to maintain and improve air quality in Fort Collins and elsewhere is just beginning. "We've made a lot of progress in Fort Collins and other areas of the state," he said.

"That being said, this is an ongoing war we're waging here. The war rages oa" Continued from Page Al military sense, and Turkey has a very important role to play in the regard," said Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wol-fowitz, who is leading a U.S. delegation on a visit to the new Turkish ruling party. The developments came even as Iraqi officials allowed U.N. weapons inspectors immediate access to a presidential palace Tuesday and as the administration continued its anti-Saddam drumbeat, with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield saying that if inspectors don't find anything on their searches, it merely means Iraq has hidden its weapons very well.

The Turkish bases in particular are key to the Pentagon's strategy, defense officials and military experts said. "Turkey is obviously crucial. I don't think you could do anything without Turkey," said Eliot Cohen, a military analyst at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington. "The United States is less dependent on the Saudis, but (their support) gives the United States a lot more room to maneuver." U.S. and British planes routinely fly from Incirlik in southern Turkey to patrol the "no-fly" zone in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq.

War contin Rent Continued from Page Al $40,000 has been raised so far. A study conducted by the In-terfaith Council two years ago found that more than $400,000 is needed to meet rental assistance needs each year. Thus, the Homelessness Prevention Drive was born. Last year, the effort raised $60,000 and helped 229 families. The Colorado Affordable Housing Partnership and the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless released a study in September calling Colorado one of the least-affordable states in the nation for rental housing.

Economist Bill Kendall heads the Center for Business and Economic Forecasting and supplied the income numbers for the study. "Our incomes (in Colorado) are still fairly high, but they have By BARRY SCHWEID The Associated Press WASHINGTON Saudi Arabia went on the diplomatic offensive Tuesday, announcing new measures to deny funds to terror groups and disputing allegations it has done a poor job in keeping the money out of terrorists' hands. The State and Treasury departments immediately issued statements complimenting the Arab kingdom's efforts and muting calls by the White House last week for the Saudis to do more. But Sen. Bob Graham, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said "the Bush administration and the Saudis have done a masterful job of turning attention away from the trail that leads to the possibility that a foreign government provided support to some of the Sept.

11 hijackers." Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala, said the Saudis had cooperated "some, probably begrudgingly." Shelby, the senior Republican member of the Senate committee, called on U.S. authorities to find out whether the royal family funded terrorism "either directly or indirectly." The senators referred to an investigation by the FBI into reports that contributions by a Saudi princess who is the wife of Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi ambassador to Washington, may have indirectly helped two of the men who participated in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York and Washington. The unusual campaign by the generally withdrawn oil-rich Air Continued from Page Al That's a far cry from the mid-1980s, when Fort Collins, along with more than a dozen areas of the state, exceeded federal standards for carbon monoxide.

Communities are allowed to exceed the limit for one day a year; a second time means they're in violation. This time of year, Fort Collins is especially vulnerable to temperature inversions that trap pollutants near the ground. Those inversions, combined with the city's high altitude and weak low-level winds, lead to the brown cloud that often shrouds communities along the Front Range in a murky haze. While technological advances such as catalytic converters for vehicles have been crucial to clearing the air in Fort Collins and elsewhere, officials worry that benefit could be lost as more and more cars and trucks crowd the roadways. More than 126,000 people call Fort Collins home, a nearly increase since 1990.

The city's vehicle miles traveled, or VMTs, are growing at an even faster clip. For 2002, the city estimates its residents are driving 3.4 million miles a day. That's up from 1.9 million VMTs in 1990, Woodruff said, and the figure continues to increase at about 4.9 percent a year. "The biggest source of pollution in Fort Collins is tailpipes," Woodruff said. "The vehicles are getting cleaner and cleaner, but there's more of them and they're driving more miles." Nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons emitted mainly by vehicles react in sunlight and warm weather to form ozone, the city's "new pollutant of concern," said senior environmental planner Lucinda Smith.

High ozone levels can make breathing difficult and trigger asthma attacks in some people. Fort Collins' improved air quality could come as a surprise to those accustomed to seeing the city veiled in smog from a distance. The city's visibility remains an area of concern. On average, Igood stuff everyday FREE Gift Tag Stickers I Gift Wrap FACTORY OUTLET I Currents 1 16 Foothills Pkwy I North of Foothills Mall 221-1176 I FORTCOLUNS I Brtmgint Fort Collin Horn www.eoloradoan.com I LONE COUPON PER VISIT I not grown as fast as real estate prices," Kendall said. "Renter incomes are lower than homeowner incomes on average." The report says the state's median home price was $192,000 in the second quarter.

Under the federal recommendation, such a home would be affordable to a household making at least $57,600. "Everyone is expecting that with the downturn in the economy, prices will go down," said Mindy Klowden, director of the Colorado Affordable Housing Coalition. "On the higher end that's true, but to meet the needs of low-income people, prices would have to come down sigJ nificantly, and that's not happening." Cross said because of the poor economy, the increase in land costs and a huge cut in the state's Division of Housing Colurjdo Kt.ir.est and Rustic look, inroad stamS acid 12.5x12.5" and fully Is guaranteed. Available in four colors. Re $2.79 YMLteyexjg COLORADO'S LARGEST SELECTION MK mmm 10 se train! EVERY AREA RUG IS NOW Excellent selection, selection varies by location.

Win budget, housing costs have hit a brick wall. "It's going to make it harder for us to get funding," Cross said of the budget cuts. Still, the state's home ownership rate has risen to 685 percent, surpassing for the first time the national home ownership rate of 67.8 percent. Tom Hart, director of the Colorado Division of Housing, attributed the increase to historically low interest rates and an increase in the number of homes on the market. Industry experts say Colorado needs more public-private partnerships and government programs such as low-income tax credits to build more affordable rental housing and help developers keep costs down.

That could help renters save enough money to eventually become homeowners. Saleends Saturday, DecemberJth at 6pm. Ultimate Guaranty ycwc rv a I FRfE ESTiMftTr! All Dank cards aapted. Excellent tang avals ghopat WwllbftetovOThciMoto selection of our floor coverings and give ywtKtiestmte, mmmmf. 'The biggest source of pollution in Fort Collins is tailpipes.

The vehicles are getting cleaner and cleaner, but there's more of them and they're driving more Brian Woodruff, city of Fort Collins the city violates the state's visibility standard 28 percent of the time nearly one day in three. There's no penalty for violating the standard, and Fort Collins and Denver are the only communities to measure it, Smith said. Visibility largely is impacted by vehicle emissions, wood smoke and dust. Illustrated most strikingly by the brown cloud, visibility is largely an issue of aesthetics and is the first problem many people think of when it comes to air quality. "You walk outside and you've got a couple hundred thousand critics (in Northern Colorado), and we've got a couple million critics in the Denver area," said Christopher Dann, spokesman for the air pollution control divi fl FORTCOLUNS LoLORADCflN Colorado Press Association Colorado Associated Press 1985, 1986.

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