Following last week's tragic events in New York and Washington, on September 17, the National Soft Drink Association, an American trade association representing non-alcoholic beverages producers, issued a statement regarding gum arabic as some media reports have linked Osama bin Laden and his financial interest to various organisations and industries around the world. The US State Department was very specific in saying it has no evidence that bin Laden has any interest in the Sudanese gum arabic industry. American industries using gum arabic from Sudan, confectionery, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals dietary fibre, printing and some citrus-based soft drinks, obtain the final form of the product from domestic importers under the licensed approval of the US State Department. In a September 15, 1998 Baltimore Sun article, a US State Department official said bin Laden divested himself of all Sudanese holdings when he was expelled from Sudan in 1996. In that same report, the Sun, quoting another State Department official said, "Bin Laden and his cronies tried to take over all the gum arabic crop in the early 1990's, 'but failed in their attempt'." Additionally, the Gum Arabic Company of Sudan, Ltd., which controls all gum arabic exports from Sudan, repeatedly has denied any bin Laden involvement in the gum arabic market in Sudan, dating back to 1969.
