“Our bilateral relations are based on strong business relations and whatever challenges there are will be overcome,” Michael McGee, commercial attache at the US Consulate General, said on Sunday night. He was addressing a press conference here on the sidelines of a seminar on e-commerce, organized by the United States Commercial Service.

“Some people are trying to destroy our relations, but that will not happen,” he said when asked to comment on the current strained relations caused by the fallout of Sept. 11 events and the US posture on Iraq.

“We believe our relations are based on commerce and trade, and will continue to be based on commerce. That’s where our strength lies,” he said. “With extremists on both sides, we need the voice of moderation. We must reach out to every section of people on both sides through dialogue and understanding,” McGee said.

“Except for aviation, we have increased our annual exports to the Kingdom to $5.7 billion, while imports from the Kingdom are a whopping $12 billion. The Kingdom thus has a real good trade surplus.”

He said the US education sector is “losing terribly” after Sept. 11 as students are not going from here to the United States. “Educational institutions have an online system for distance learning, but it is not the same as going to the United States for studies,” McGee added.

He believed the promotion of e-business and e-commerce in this part of the world would promote closer bilateral ties.

McGee later gave a presentation at an e-commerce seminar in which Saudi Business Machines and UPS also participated.

US Consul General Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley in her remarks hoped that use of e-commerce would help making business more profitable.

McGee said the Arab world had fallen behind in the use of e-commerce. “However, Saudis have demonstrated they are hungry for technology and this should augur well for the growth of e-commerce and e-business here.”