Washington ( CNN ) -- The government of Saudi Arabia expressed concerns about American security regulations that included Saudis in a list of nationalities that warranted additional screening at airports . Transportation Security Administration regulations included the kingdom in a `` limited group of countries for additional airport screening '' adopted in the aftermath of the attempted airline bombing December 25 , according to a cable published by WikiLeaks . Deputy Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Torki Al-Saud Al-Kabir raised the issue in a meeting with Jeffrey D. Feltman , assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs , according to a January State Department cable published by WikiLeaks . According to TSA regulations passed January 3 in the aftermath of the failed terrorist attack , citizens and travelers from 14 countries would get enhanced screening when they fly to the United States , possibly including full-body pat-downs , carry-on bag searches , full-body scans and explosive detection swabs . The countries on the list include those officially designated as supporters of terrorism -- Cuba , Iran , Sudan and Syria -- as well as other countries of interest , including Afghanistan , Algeria , Iraq , Lebanon , Libya , Nigeria , Pakistan , Saudi Arabia , Somalia and Yemen . Torki told Feltman that the issue had caused `` a lot of difficulties and embarrassment for Saudi Arabia , '' to the point that Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal would raise the issue himself with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a meeting in London , England , the next day . According to the cable , Torki said that the issue was not the regulation itself but the kingdom 's `` inclusion on the list with the likes of Cuba , which causes Saudi Arabia 's friends and enemies to question how strong its bilateral relationship with the United States really is . '' He also noted the difficulty of explaining this policy to Saudis , considering that the flights would not have originated in the kingdom while other countries with recent terrorist incidents on airplanes -- he identifies the United Kingdom , Egypt and Turkey , according to the document -- are not included in this group . Torki noted that although the provisions were only temporary , Saudi Arabia wanted to know how and when they would be amended . The cable also points out that he implied `` the longer they remained in effect without any public explanation from the [ United States government ] , the more it was likely to prompt the Saudi Government to re-evaluate areas of cooperation , including counter-terrorism cooperation . '' Feltman promised to `` convey the spirit and strength of the message '' and welcomed `` any specific Saudi suggestions to address the security gap regarding nonmetallic explosives exploited in the December 25 incident . '' The TSA updated its guidance in April , noting that travelers coming into the United States from abroad might notice enhanced screening and security measures , regardless of country of origin . This new guidance would apply to all countries and `` supersede '' the list of 14 countries that offended the Saudis , which the TSA described as `` an emergency measure . '' On the WikiLeaks documents ' release , Osama Nogali , the spokesman for the Saudi foreign minister , said that `` these documents do not concern the kingdom of Saudi Arabia nor the kingdom has any role in producing them , nor is it aware of its authenticity . Therefore Saudi Arabia can not comment on them , however , the policies and positions of the kingdom have always been clear . '' CNN 's Jeanne Meserve and Rima Maktabi contributed to this report .
Saudis were on a list of nationalities warranting additional airport screening . Prince discussed the matter with assistant secretary of state . Comment: