Imagine Nazi Germany having held a conference on anti-Semitism. This comparison can be applied to Saudi Arabia’s terrorism conference last week, which served as little more than a PR coup for the Saudi royal family, who have spread their extremist Wahhabi ideology around the world for over 20 years.

On February 14, the Saudi Press Agency reported that President Bush called Crown Prince Abdullah to congratulate him on the success of the conference. Members of the American delegation also praised the Saudis, including Ambassador James Oberwetter, and Frances Townsend, homeland security adviser to Mr. Bush, as well as State and Treasury Department officials.

Not everyone in the government was pleased with America’s participation. Senator Lautenberg, a Democrat of New Jersey, sent a letter to Mr. Bush on February 4, calling on him not to send a delegation, labeling the conference “absurd” and arguing that it “defies common sense.” Mr. Lautenberg also wrote that it is “hypocritical” to discuss counterterrorism with Saudi Arabia.

On February 3, Saudi officials began the conference with a series of preparatory events. Saudi poet Mash’al Al-Harithi appeared on Saudi TV Channel 1, and serenaded Saudi Minister of Defense Prince Sultan at one such event. Prince Sultan, who is the father of the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. and who previously blamed “yarmulke-wearing congressman” for causing his country’s image problems, sat smiling as the poet sang that “bin Laden was sent by the Jews.”

As the conference, under the chairmanship of Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef (who blamed September 11, 2001, on the “Zionists”) ended on February 8, a final communique known as the Riyadh Declaration was issued. It “emphasized the importance of enhancing the values of understanding, tolerance, [and] dialogue [and] becoming acquainted with other peoples, bringing cultures together, rejecting any clash of civilizations, and combating any ideology that calls for hatred, instigates violence, or justifies the terrorist crimes that are denounced by all religions.” It also emphasized encouraging the press to set down guidelines and to refrain from publishing articles that call for extremism and violence.

Explaining that the event was not meant “just to polish the country’s image,” Prince Saud declared that the kingdom is serious in its fight against terror. In reality, the conference was a farce – part of the Saudi game of pretending to be serious about fighting terror.

It should be noted that in the weeks leading up to and even during the conference, the Saudi government-controlled press continued to espouse jihad and hatred. On the last day of the conference, Arab News reported that Saudi Islamic Affairs Minster Saleh Al-Sheikh issued an edict condemning suicide bombings against Muslims as an act of terror but saying that those fighting occupation are not terrorists. As Saudi cleric Sa’d Al-Breik stated in an TV interview: “[Waging jihad is permitted] only when there is a worthy cause. As for Iraq, this is a [worthy] jihad to get rid of the occupier and to confront the enemy.”

Another example of incitement includes Saudi cleric Aed Al-Qarni, who gave an interview on Saudi TV Channel 1 on February 7, speaking from the conference itself. Stating America was behind the September 11, 2001, attacks, he explained: “The first to kill and use terrorism in the world were the Jews and America. They began to act this way 200 years before us. The blowing up of the buildings in Washington, opposite the Pentagon, was an American terror attack. There are world Zionist circles that want to create for us constitutions that are illegitimate. But we won’t accept the Zionist rule or that of the White House – which is, in fact, a Black House.”

Also from the influential Al-Qarni clan, preacher Musa Al-Qarni, who said: “We ask Allah to strengthen the spirits of the jihad fighters in Iraq, and to help them against their enemies the Jews and the Christians.”

A global conference on counterterrorism is an important initiative. However, the idea of it being sponsored by Saudi Arabia is a joke. If the Saudi government was serious about fighting terrorism, it would have allowed true Saudi reformists to participate in the conference, and would adopt the Riyadh Declaration’s calls to prevent incitement. Instead, hatred for the West continues to be propagated by Saudi state institutions.

It was also disappointing that those attending, such as the U.S., Britain, Germany, France, as well as the U.N., have allowed themselves to be fooled by Saudi Arabia’s so-called war on terrorism.

Mr. Stalinsky is the Executive Director of The Middle East Media Research Institute.