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In a statement US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said, “The safety of U.S. workers was more important than any effect on oil supplies or the Saudi economy. As far as the maintenance and continued flow of oil and the economy in Saudi Arabia, that is something I think the Saudis will have to describe, what provisions they can make and how they can operate those facilities.”
“We first and foremost have a responsibility to Americans. We need to give them our best advice on how to handle any particular situation overseas,” added Boucher who would not say how many US expatriates have chosen to remain in Saudi Arabia despite the recent spates of attacks, killings and kidnappings.
According to Boucher, “In this kind of situation, we feel that giving out numbers just identifies how many potential targets there might be”.
Before the attacks, 35,000 Americans worked in Saudi Arabia. There are currently around 8.8 million expatriate workers in the kingdom.
