by Ali Khalil
RIYADH, July 22 (AFP) - Saudi Arabia, embroiled in a deadly battle with militants, is giving Al-Qaeda sympathizers until Thursday night to surrender under a royal amnesty or face severe measures.
But the kingdom's one-month bid to extend an olive branch to suspected terrorists and undermine support for Al-Qaeda has seen only four men come forward and no let-up in clashes between security forces and militants.
The latest shoot-out, on Tuesday night, killed two extremists amid raids by police that also led to the discovery in a refrigerator of the head of US hostage Paul Johnson, kidnapped last month by suspected Al-Qaeda members.
An interior ministry statement said the amnesty, issued June 23 by King Fahd, would not be extended beyond Thursday night and advised those still willing to surrender to do so in time.
Al-Qaeda swiftly rejected the pardon, branding it in a statement posted on Islamist websites as destined to fail.
The Saudi monarch coupled the one-month deadline for a "last chance" to surrender with a warning of doom for those who ignore it.
But one mediator insisted that other militants are willing to surrender and need more time, including at least two on the most-wanted list.
"It takes time to convince them. We will list the names of anyone declaring his willingness to talk," Sheikh Safar al-Hawali told AFP.
The ministry said anyone wanting to surrender but living in remote areas could declare their willingness before the deadline while procedures would be completed later.
"Crown Prince Abdullah suggested collecting the names of those willing to negotiate surrendering. They will be included regardless of the period needed to conclude negotiations," said Hawali.
"I have a list which I will present to the crown prince this evening. It includes 15 to 20 names and at least two of them are on the most-wanted list."
The interior ministry issued the 26-strong list in December and it is now down to 12 still at large. The others have either been killed in clashes or surrendered.
The amnesty carries a guarantee of personal safety for those who repent while reserving the right of individuals harmed by terror acts to either seek redress through the courts or waive any claims.
Saudi officials have repeatedly urged members of "the deviant group" to repent.
"We hope that those remaining will be reasonable enough to use the period left to turn themselves in," Defence Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz said Tuesday.
The authorities have already been piling the pressure on militants believed behind a spate of attacks in the oil-rich kingdom, which have killed some 90 people and wounded hundreds since May 2003.
The offer of a pardon came close on the heels of the June 18 killing of Al-Qaeda's local chief, Abdul Aziz al-Muqrin, and three of his henchmen after websites posted the pictures of Johnson beheaded.
Ibrahim al-Sadek al-Kaydi al-Harbi and Khaled bin Odeh bin Mohammed al-Harbi both surrendered last week and were extradited from Damascus and Tehran, respectively.
Khaled Harbi is suspected of being a top Al-Qaeda figure and close to Osama bin Laden.
Othman Hadi al-Maqbul al-Aamri, who is 19 on the wanted list, surrendered on June 28 after two years on the run, while Saaban bin Mohammed bin Abdullah al-Laylahi al-Shihri turned himself in the day after the amnesty was granted.