SAUDIS,
EXPATS
CALL ON
BUSH TO
HEED TO
REASON
OVER
IRAQ
By Saeed
Haider,
Gulf
Bureau
DAMMAM,
29
January
2003 -
Saudis
and
expatriates
have
called
upon the
Bush
administration
to
listen
to
reason
and
desist
from any
attack
on Iraq.
Opposition
to an
attack
was high
when the
Bush
administration
adopted
a
hostile
pose
last
year,
but it
increased
after
Monday's
report
to the
United
Nations
by the
UN
weapons
inspectors.
"President
Bush
should
respect
the
United
Nations'
verdict,
public
opinion
in his
country
and
around
the
world,"
said
Saleh
Al-Humaidan,
managing
director
of Al-Youm
Publishing
Group.
"Any
attack
on Iraq
would be
a
disaster
for the
whole
region
and the
economic
fallout
would be
devastating
for the
world,"
he said.
"It
has been
shown
that
Iraq has
no
nuclear
capability
for
building
weapons
of mass
destruction.
The UN
weapons
inspectors
said
this in
clear
terms
and IAEA
also
verified
it. If
this is
so, what
is the
logic of
attacking
Iraq?"
Al-Humaidan
asked.
Saud
Al-Rais,
special
correspondent
of Al-Hayat,
said
that by
attacking
Iraq,
the US
government
would be
making a
mockery
of the
United
Nations
and its
own
people.
He said
that the
United
States
had no
right to
determine
who
rules
Iraq.
"If
the
United
States
attacks
Iraq, it
will be
setting
a very
bad
precedent
and
sending
a bad
signal
to the
world.
By
attacking
Iraq,
the
United
States
itself
will be
defying
the
United
Nations,"
he said.
Abdullah
Al-Qahtani,
a former
official
of the
Eastern
Province
Chamber
of
Commerce
and
Industry,
said
that any
attack
on Iraq
would
ruin the
region's
economy.
"It
took the
region
almost
10 years
to
recover
from the
Gulf War
of
1990-91
and now
that
most
countries
are on
the
course
of
economic
stabilization,
an
attack
on Iraq
would be
a total
disaster
for
them,"
he said.
Richard
Wasner,
an
American
working
as a
consultant
in a
petrochemical
company,
said
that if
President
George
Bush
decided
to go it
alone
and
attack
Iraq,
then he
would be
defying
his own
people
and
causing
the
complete
alienation
of the
United
States
from the
international
community.
"His
war-mongering
is
nothing
but
sheer
arrogance,"
Wasner
said.
"I
can
understand
the war
against
terrorism,
but
singling
out
Iraq,
especially
after
the UN
inspectors'
report,
is
beyond
my
comprehension."
Wasner
said
that any
such
attack
would
not only
be
against
regional
interests
but also
against
US
interests.
He said
Bush had
alienated
the
Middle
East
which
was once
a
staunch
American
ally.
Abdullah
Rizvi,
marketing
manager
of a
water-proofing
company,
said the
United
States
had now
shown
its true
colors
and its
blatant
double
standards.
"On
the one
hand he
is all
set to
attack
Iraq,
despite
UN
inspectors
finding
no
weapons
of mass
destruction
and on
the
other
hand, he
continues
to be a
strong
ally of
Israel
which
has
proven
nuclear
capabilities."
Rizvi
feels
that an
attack
on Iraq
will be
a
disaster
for the
world
peace.
"Only
the
people
of the
United
States
can stop
Bush
from
such an
adventure,"
he said.
Media
heap
scorn on
war
plans
Saudi
media
heaped
scorn on
US plans
to
attack
Iraq,
and at
least
one
daily
described
the
potential
onslaught
as a
neo-colonialism.
"In
the name
of
fighting
terrorism,
colonialism,
mandates
and
trusteeships
are
returning
to
international
politics
by the
world's
superpower,
just as
was the
case
after
World
War
One,"
Al-Watan
wrote in
an
editorial.
"It
appears
that
some
major
powers
are
working
to pull
time
backward
to the
ages of
hateful
hegemony,"
the Okaz
daily
added.
Al-Madinah
said
Washington
appeared
to be
ready to
accept
giving
inspectors
more
time,
but only
to beef
up the
military
buildup
in the
region
for a
swift
attack
on Iraq.
"War
and
peace is
not
Washington's
decision
alone,
but the
international
community
as a
whole,"
which
should
be based
on full
awareness
of the
dangers
of arms
of mass
destruction
and
misery
of wars,
it said.
Source:
Arab
News
[Reprinted
with
permission
of Arab
News]
SAUD
VIEWS
WITH
BLAIR
WAYS TO
AVERT
WAR
Visiting
Prince
Saud
Al-Faisal,
the
foreign
minister,
held
talks
here
Wednesday
with
British
Premier
Tony
Blair,
Foreign
Minister
Jack
Straw
and
Baronet
Simons
separately.
At 10
Downing
Street
in
downtown
London,
Prince
Saud
discussed
the
developments
relating
to the
Iraqi
issue
with
Blair
earlier
Wednesday.
Following
the
meeting,
Prince
Saud
told
reporters
that
"in
fact, we
are all
seeking
to find
solutions
to the
Iraqi
issue to
evade
military
action.
On one
part,
this
requires
cooperation
from the
Iraqi
side
with the
Security
Council
and, on
the
other,
specific
responsibilities
on what
it (the
Security
Council)
should
do so
that it
would
not lead
to
negative
impacts
on
Iraq's
integrity
or
regional
sovereignty."
The
meeting
was
attended
by
Prince
Turki
Al-Faisal,
the
Saudi
ambassador-designate
to the
United
Kingdom
and
Ireland
and a
number
of
British
officials.
Later
Wednesday
night,
Prince
Saud met
with
Straw at
the
foreign
office
headquarters.
Following
the
meeting,
the
Saudi
foreign
minister
said his
talks
with
Straw
were a
continuation
to the
talks he
held
with
Blair
earlier,
particularly
with
regard
to the
Iraqi
issue.
He said
he
conveyed
a
message
from
Custodian
of the
Two Holy
Mosques
King
Fahd bin
Abdulaziz
and
Crown
Prince
Abdullah
bin
Abdulaziz,
the
deputy
premier
and
commander
of the
National
Guard,
to the
British
premier.
On his
part,
Blair
requested
that a
message
from him
be
conveyed
to the
King and
the
Crown
Prince,
Prince
Saud
told
reporters.
The
meeting
was
attended
by a
number
of
officials.
Later,
Prince
Saud
conferred
with
Baronet
Simons,
secretary
of state
for
international
trade
affairs.
They
discussed
bilateral
relations
between
the two
countries
and
matters
of
mutual
concern.
Source:
Riyadh
Daily,
January
30, 2003
[Reprinted
with
permission
of Riyadh
Daily]
WAR
AGAINST
IRAQ
WILL
ADVERSELY
AFFECT
REGION:
AL-QUSAIBI
Minister
of
Planning
Khalid
Al-Qusaibi
has said
that war
against
Iraq
will
have an
adverse
impact
on the
development
process
in the
Kingdom
of Saudi
Arabia
as well
as in
the
countries
of the
region,
reported
Abha-based
Al-Watan
Arabic
newspaper.
"The
expected
war
against
Iraq
will be
entailed
by
serious
repercussions
in a
region
where
the
population
is
steadily
increasing,"
Al-Qusaibi
said at
a press
conference
in Tokyo
on
Monday.
He
pointed
out that
all
countries
of the
region
have
been
exerting
intensive
efforts
to avoid
the war.
"Avoiding
the war
will
serve
the
interest
of all
countries
including
Japan,"
he said
and
added,
"if
it is
possible
to avoid
the war,
then no
country
will
feel
anxious
about
the oil
supplies."
Al-Qusaibi
said
Saudi
oil
supplies
to Japan
were
increasing
and
trade
exchange
between
the two
countries
was
steadily
growing.
He urged
the
Japanese
businessmen
to
invest
in the
Kingdom.
"Selling
Japanese
commodities
to the
Kingdom
is not
enough
and so
the
Kingdom
hopes
that the
Japanese
companies
will
cooperate
with it
in
maintenance
of the
commodities
because
most of
them are
of high
and
sophisticated
technology,"
he
elaborated.
"The
Japanese
investors
should
never be
worried
about
the
current
situation
in the
region,"
he said
and
added,
"it
would be
better
for the
Japanese
side to
realize
the fact
that the
Kingdom
has been
taking
the
required
measures
to
ensure
continuation
of oil
supplies
to
Japan."
Source:
Riyadh
Daily,
January
30, 2003
[Reprinted
with
permission
of Riyadh
Daily]
CHIRAC,
SAUDI
FOREIGN
MINISTER
MEET
PARIS
-- The
international
community
must
explore
all
alternatives
to war,
while
Iraq
must be
more
cooperative
with
weapons
inspectors,
France's
president
and the
Saudi
foreign
minister
said
Tuesday.
Saudi
Foreign
Minister
Prince
Saud Al
Faisal
said
after
the
talks
that he
hoped
"a
disaster
and a
crisis
of
immense
proportion"
could be
avoided
for Iraq
and its
neighbors.
Asked if
he
believed
war was
still
avoidable,
the
Saudi
prince
responded
by
crossing
his
fingers...
[Expired
Link]
FAMILIES
OF US
DIPLOMATS
ADVISED
TO
RETURN
HOME
By
Michel
Cousins
&
Molouk
Y.
Ba-Isa
JEDDAH/ALKHOBAR,
1
February
2003 -
The US
State
Department
has
issued a
travel
warning
on Saudi
Arabia
authorizing
the
dependents
of
American
diplomatic
staff in
the
Kingdom
to
return
to the
US if
they
wish to
do so.
It
has also
recommended
US
private
citizens
in the
country
to look
"rigorously"
at their
own
security
situations
and
consider
leaving,
"especially
given
reduced
flight
availability
at a
time of
high
demand
related
to
school
holidays
and the
Haj".
It
further
cautions
US
citizens
planning
to
travel
to the
Kingdom
to look
at what
it
refers
to as
the
"increased
risks"
of doing
so in
the
light of
terrorist
threats
and
attacks
against
US
citizens
in the
region.
The
same
warnings
have
been
given to
US
citizens
and
diplomatic
staff in
Kuwait.
In its
statement
on
Kuwait,
the
State
Department
noted
that a
US
government
contractor
was
killed
in an
ambush
on a car
near
Camp
Doha on
Jan. 21,
the
third
attack
on a US
citizen
in the
country
in the
last
four
months.
Prior
to the
outbreak
of 1991
Gulf
War,
Washington
began
reducing
the
number
of its
embassy
personnel
and
family
members
in the
Middle
East
because
of the
possibility
of
hostilities
and the
increased
chance
of
attacks
against
US
citizens.
However,
a
Jeddah-based
US
diplomat
denied
reports
by a
number
of news
wire
services
-
including
Reuters
and AFP
-which
yesterday
stated
that the
State
Department
had told
US
private
citizens
to leave
the
Kingdom.
The
travel
warning
was
issued
on
Thursday
because
of
concerns
that
those
who wish
to leave
may not
find
seats on
flights
during
and
after
Haj if
they
decided
to leave
then,
the
diplomat
explained.
The same
is true
regarding
the
advice
for
diplomats'
dependents.
"It
is
voluntary,"
the
diplomat
told
Arab
News
yesterday.
"They
do not
have to
go, but
if they
do want
to they
should
know
that
there
may be
problems
finding
a seat
at a
later
date."
The
British,
Belgian
and a
number
of other
European
embassies
in the
Kingdom
have
advised
their
citizens
during
the last
week
that, in
light of
the
current
international
situation,
they
should
ensure
that
their
dependants
have
exit/re-entry
visas in
their
passports.
Britons
with
non-British
dependents
have
also
been
told to
ensure
they
have a
valid
visa to
enter
the UK.
"We're
not yet
telling
Britons
working
here to
get an
exit and
re-entry
visa,"
another
Jeddah-based
British
diplomat
told
Arab
News
yesterday.
"That
would
send the
wrong
message
at the
moment,"
he
added.
"It's
business
as usual
at all
the
Western
embassies
as far
as
normal
day-to-day
activities
go,"
a third,
senior
Riyadh-based
British
diplomat
said.
Next
week, as
many as
2.5
million
Haj
pilgrims
will
congregate
in the
two Holy
cities
of
Makkah
and
Madinah.
The flow
of
people
at the
moment
is very
much
into the
Kingdom.
Despite
the talk
of war
in the
region,
there is
no
discernible
tension
here.
As
companies
and
travel
agents
closed
for the
weekend,
neither
were
there
signs of
an
exodus
at
airports.
It is
expected
that
Americans
who had
plans to
go on
vacation
for Haj
and the
school
holidays,
scheduled
to begin
on Feb.
6, will
continue
with the
arrangements
they
already
have in
place.
Americans
leaving
Saudi
Arabia
will
depart
on
flights
operated
by
commercial
carriers.
Americans
who
would
like to
hear a
voice
recording
of the
most
recent
US
security
information
concerning
Saudi
Arabia
should
telephone
the US
Embassy
in
Riyadh
on (1)
488-3800,
and then
press 7.
Source:
Arab
News
[Reprinted
with
permission
of Arab
News]
Related
Item:
U.S.
State
Dept.
Travel
Warning
- Saudi
Arabia -
Jan. 30,
2003
EP
RESIDENTS
IRKED BY
US
WARNINGS
By Saeed
Haider,
Gulf
Bureau
DAMMAM,
2
February
2003 -
Saudis
and
expatriates
in the
Eastern
Province
are sore
over the
US
directive
to its
diplomats
advising
them to
send
their
families
back
home.
They say
that the
US
authorities
are now
creating
panic
among
the
citizens
and
residents
in Gulf
countries.
Many
people
also
ridiculed
a
clarification
from an
unnamed
Jeddah-based
US
diplomat
of wire
reports
that the
State
Department
had told
American
private
citizens
to leave
the
Kingdom.
The
unnamed
diplomat
had said
that the
travel
warning
was
issued
because
of
concerns
that
those
who
wished
to leave
might
not find
seats on
flights
during
and
after
Haj if
they
decided
to leave
then.
Many
Saudis
and
expatriates
felt
that it
was a
childish
explanation,
unbecoming
of a
diplomat.
"If
that is
the
concern
then how
come the
State
Department
never
issued
such
travel
warnings
in the
past
pilgrimage
or
during
Eid Al-Fitr
holidays?,"
said
Abdullah
Al-Qahtani,
a Saudi
businessmen.
"Such
warnings
tend to
create
panic
among
people,
especially
expatriates
from the
Third
World
countries,"
he said.
"Certainly,
such
warnings
send out
the
wrong
message
to
people,"
he
added.
Diplomats
of
several
Asian
countries
in
Riyadh
have
advised
their
citizens
not to
panic
and
assured
that
their
missions
are
prepared
for any
kind of
eventuality.
An
Indian
diplomat
said
that the
envoys
of
Indian
missions
in the
Gulf
region
met
their
country's
Foreign
Minister
Yashwant
Sinha on
Thursday
in Abu
Dhabi
and
discussed
contingency
plans.
A
Philippine
diplomat
said
that
they did
not
envisage
a
situation
such as
in the
1990-91
Gulf
War.
During
that
war, the
main
theater
of
operation
was
Dhahran
and as a
result
the
people
in the
Eastern
Province
witnessed
several
Scud
attacks.
But this
time,
the
situation
is
entirely
different
and the
US
forces
will not
be
operating
from
Saudi
soil in
the
event of
a US-
led
attack
on Iraq.
Despite
US war
mongering
and
travel
advisory,
complete
calm
prevails
in the
province.
Life is
normal
and the
market
places
are as
crowded
as ever.
No
airline
has
reported
unusual
booking.
"We
have
usual
Haj
holiday
rush,
nothing
extraordinary,"
said the
manager
of an
airline
operating
on the
Asian
sector.
Airlines
operating
on the
European
sector
also
confirmed
that
there
was no
unusual
rush.
"There
is no
panic
booking,
not even
from
American
nationals,"
said an
airline
manager.
Saudis
and
expatriates
say that
they do
not fear
war.
"Why
should
people
in Saudi
Arabia
be
afraid?
The
Kingdom
is not
involved
either
way,"
said
Rahat
Ali, a
Pakistani
engineer.
Source:
Arab
News
[Reprinted
with
permission
of Arab
News]
ALWALEED
GIVES
$10M TO
CAIRO
VARSITY
CAIRO,
29
January
2003 -
Prince
Alwaleed
ibn
Talal is
to
donate
$10
million
to a
Cairo
university
to
promote
understanding
between
the Arab
world
and the
US, the
university
announced
yesterday.
The
American
University
in Cairo
(AUC)
said
Prince
Alwaleed
will
present
the
donation
to its
president,
Thomas
Bartlett,
at a
ceremony
today.
The
donation
will
"fund
the
Humanities
and
Social
Sciences
Building
on the
new
campus
and
establish
a Center
for
American
Studies
and
Research
... in
line
with (Alwaleed's)
ongoing
efforts
to
bridge
the gap
between
East and
West and
promoting
better
understanding
of
American
society
and
policies,"
it said.
Source:
Arab
News
[Reprinted
with
permission
of Arab
News]
SAUDI
ARABIA
FRETS AS
WELLS
RUN DRY
QASSIM
PROVINCE,
Saudi
Arabia
-- From
the air,
the
circular
wheat
fields
of this
arid
land's
breadbasket
look
like
forest-green
poker
chips
strewn
across
the
brown
desert.
But they
are
outnumbered
by the
ghostly
silhouettes
of
fields
left to
fade
back
into the
sand,
places
where
the
kingdom's
gamble
on
agriculture
has
sucked
precious
aquifers
dry...
[Expired
Link]
FEWER
US
MUSLIMS
ARRIVING
FOR HAJ
By
Mohammed
Alkhereiji,
Arab
News Staff
JEDDAH,
1
February
2003 -
The
number
of
pilgrims
coming
for this
year's
Haj from
the
United
States
is
estimated
at just
7,000,
according
to the
US
Consulate
in
Jeddah.
That
figure
is 3,000
lower
than
last
year,
according
to
official
statistics.
However,
a
representative
from Dar
El Salam
travel
agents,
one of
the
biggest
Haj and
Umra
travel
agents
in the
US which
works
closely
with US
diplomats
in Saudi
Arabia,
told
Arab
News by
telephone
that
they
were
sending
1,900
pilgrims
this
year.
"That's
a
thousand
more
than
last
year,"
he
added.
The
mechanics
of
obtaining
a visa
in the
US has
not
changed
since
last
year, he
added.
Some
are
questioning
whether
the
reason
for the
decrease
in the
number
of US
pilgrims
this
year is
that
this may
be a bad
time for
Muslims
to
openly
declare
their
faith in
America.
In
December
2002, a
program
devised
by the
Immigration
and
Naturalization
Service
(INS) to
register,
fingerprint
and
question
thousands
of male
foreign
nationals
from
countries
identified
by the
Bush
administration
as
"terrorist
harbors",
was
heavily
criticized.
It came
under
fire
from
Arab-American,
Muslim
and
civil
rights
groups
across
the US.
The
INS
program
resulted
in the
detention
of
hundreds
of
Muslims
in the
US.
The
matter
of
whether
US
pilgrims
who have
decided
to come
on Haj
would be
fingerprinted
on their
arrival
was
dealt
with
last
week
when
authorities
here
postponed
the
procedures
for
fingerprinting
all
pilgrims.
The
government
introduced
this
procedure
at Saudi
airports
last
year on
a trial
basis as
part of
efforts
to
ensure
the
safety
of
pilgrims.
The
Passports
Department
announced
that the
reason
for the
postponement
this
year was
the lack
of
trained
personnel
able to
operate
the
computers
and
carry
out
maintenance.
"No
fingerprinting
registration
or
anything
else was
going to
stop me
from
attending
Haj this
year,"
Mohammed
Saleh,
an
Egyptian-born
US
Muslim
who
recently
arrived
in the
Kingdom,
told
Arab
News
yesterday.
"I've
been
saving
for the
last
couple
of years
and no
obstacle
is going
to
hinder
my goal
in
fulfilling
my
religious
duty."
When
asked if
being a
Muslim
in
America
had now
become a
stigma,
Mohammed
declared:
"A
lot of
people
believe
so, but
I can
counter
every
horror
story
with a
positive
one."
Source:
Arab
News
[Reprinted
with
permission
of Arab
News]
AMERICAN
VARSITY
FOR
JEDDAH
BY 2005
By
Staff
Writer
JEDDAH,
31
January
2003 -
Efforts
are
under
way to
establish
an
American
university
in
Jeddah
at an
estimated
cost of
SR600
million,
Al-Madinah
reported
yesterday,
quoting
Abdullah
Al-Qurashi,
chairman
of Al-Buzough
International.
He said
the
university
will be
ready by
2005.
The
American
University's
branch
in
Beirut
will
conduct
a
feasibility
study on
the
project
and
prepare
a
blueprint,
he said.
A
working
team
will
visit
Jeddah
soon to
conduct
studies.
He did
not
disclose
how the
multimillion
riyal
project
was to
be
financed.
He
said
that the
new
university
will
offer
studies
in rare
specializations
required
by the
Saudi
labor
market.
The
university
would
make use
of
experienced
teaching
staff
from the
Beirut
branch.
Source:
Arab
News
[Reprinted
with
permission
of Arab
News]
ARAB
LEADERS
LOSE
HOPE ON
EFFORTS
TO AVERT
IRAQ WAR
Saudi
Arabia's
foreign
minister
was in
Washington
[Jan.
30] to
meet
with
President
Bush.
By
Nicholas
Blanford
|
Special
to The
Christian
Science
Monitor
KUWAIT
CITY -
After
weeks of
behind-the-scenes
activity
to head
off war,
Arab
leaders
appear
to have
lost
hope
that
Iraqi
President
Saddam
Hussein
will
fully
cooperate
with
United
Nations
weapons
inspectors.
According
to Arab
diplomats,
these
leaders
now
believe
that a
potentially
devastating
conflict
is
inevitable.
With
thousands
of US
troops
deploying
in
Kuwait
for a
possible
invasion
of Iraq,
they
say,
Arab
efforts
to find
a
face-saving
diplomatic
formula
are
failing...
Complete
report...
SAUDIS
TAKE
SMALL
STEP
TOWARD
POLITICAL
REFORM -
CONSERVATIVE
MONARCHY
OPENS
EARS TO
CRITICISM
"Taking
a
tentative
gamble
on
internal
reform
despite
increasing
worries
about a
possible
war in
neighboring
Iraq,
the
Saudi
government
is
signaling
an
increased
tolerance
for
criticism
at home
and
abroad.
In the
past
week,
the
Saudi
monarchy
has
taken
several
unprecedented
steps,
allowing
a
leading
human
rights
group to
visit
the
country
and
welcoming
a
petition
for
democracy
from
domestic
critics.
Although
analysts
and
diplomats
warned
that it
was
still
too soon
to tell
whether
real
reform
was in
the
offing,
the
moves
indicated
that the
arch-conservative
Saudi
regime
might
have
decided
that it
must
change
in order
to
survive..."
Complete
report...
REFORMISTS
IN FREE,
FRANK
TALKS
WITH
ABDULLAH
By Staff
Writer
JEDDAH,
2
February
2003 -
Crown
Prince
Abdullah,
deputy
premier
and
commander
of the
National
Guard,
has held
open
talks
with a
group of
Saudi
intellectuals
and
academics
on a
number
of vital
issues
including
the
possibility
of
having
an
elected
Shoura
Council,
according
to a
report
in Al-Riyadh
Arabic
language
newspaper
yesterday.
"The
discussions
aimed at
promoting
transparency,
expanding
freedom
of
expression,
increasing
channels
of
dialogue,
deepening
Islamic
culture
and
values
in Saudi
society
and
developing
civilian
institutions.
The
topics
also
included
the
prospects
of
holding
elections
for the
consultative
Shoura
Council
in the
future,"
the
paper
said.
A
number
of
reformists
who took
part in
the
discussions
described
the
meeting
as
"constructive".
"The
aim was
to give
a
long-term
perspective,"
Al-Riyadh
said.
The
discussions
emphasized
that the
Kingdom
must
depend
on
tested
ways on
the road
to
reform,
and they
should
be used
to
modernize
government
agencies
in
particular.
The
talks
also
centered
on the
need to
create a
social
safety
net
within
the
framework
of
Shariah
(Islamic
law)
while
giving
due
respect
to the
Royal
family,
the
paper
said,
adding
that the
reformists
considered
the
Royal
family
as the
bedrock
of the
Kingdom's
unity.
The
Arabic
daily
emphasized
that any
discussions
to
achieve
development
and
reforms
should
not
deviate
from
Shariah
law and
the
concept
of
national
unity,
and
should
not
undermine
Saudi
Arabia's
international
reputation.
"All
this
could be
achieved
with
greater
transparency,
which
the
crown
prince
has
earlier
called
for,"
the
paper
said.
Prince
Abdullah
has set
an
example
for
transparency
at many
occasions
and
called
for
expanding
public
participation
in
national
affairs,
it
added.
"Prince
Abdullah
also
wants to
make the
upcoming
Arab
League
summit
in
Manama a
landmark
occasion
by
calling
for
greater
political
participation
in all
Arab
countries,"
the
paper
said.
It
pointed
out that
international
news
agencies
gave the
crown
prince's
new
initiatives
positive
coverage.
For the
past two
years,
Prince
Abdullah
has been
holding
discussions
with
various
Saudi
groups,
including
Islamic
scholars,
businessmen
and
academics.
Source:
Arab
News
[Reprinted
with
permission
of Arab
News]
SAUDI
ARABIA
TO
EXTEND
SAUDIZATION
TO
PRIVATE
COMPANIES
IN
KINGDOM
Riyadh,
27
January:
Presided
over by
its
Chairman
Shaykh
Dr Salih
Bin-Abdallah
Bin-Humayd,
the
Shura
Council
decided
to apply
Saudization
controls
to
companies
working
in the
kingdom,
or owned
by Saudi
Aramco
company
or
implementing
its
projects.
In
a
statement
to the
Saudi
Press
Agency
following
the
session
held
here
today,
the
Secretary-General
of the
Council
Dr Humud
Bin-Abd-al-Aziz
Al-Badr
pointed
out that
the
council
also
approved
the
application
of
Saudization
controls
to
private
companies
given
works by
Aramco,
adding
that the
results
of this
application
will be
included
in
annual
performance
reports
submitted
by the
ministry
of
petroleum
and
mineral
resources.
Dr
Al-Badr
added
that the
council
also
endorsed
opening
the door
for
investment
in the
gas
sector
for
Saudi
and
international
companies
to
compete
among
themselves
to
create
the most
appropriate
atmosphere
for the
selection
aiming
at
achieving
the
country's
interests.
Source:
SPA
US
SEEKS TO
BOOST
FLAGGING
TRADE
TIES
By Staff
Writer
RIYADH,
2
February
2003 -
US
Ambassador
Robert
Jordan
held
talks
yesterday
with
Commerce
Minister
Osama
Faqeeh
over
ways to
boost
trade
ties, as
Washington's
exports
to the
Kingdom
continue
to
slide.
Jordan
and
Faqeeh
"reviewed
economic
and
trade
relations
between
the two
countries
and
means to
boost
them...
and
increase
the size
of trade
volume,"
the
Commerce
Ministry
said in
a
statement.
Faqeeh
also
held
talks
yesterday
with a
delegation
of
businessmen
from
Texas,
led by
Hurbert
Hunt,
chairman
of the
board of
directors
of
Petrohunt
oil
company,
on
aspects
of trade
cooperation
between
the
Kingdom
and the
US, and
the
opportunities
available
for
joint
investment
projects.
US
exports
to Saudi
Arabia
plunged
21.2
percent
in the
first 11
months
of 2002
from the
year-earlier
period,
according
to US
figures.
The
value of
US
exports
to the
Kingdom
at the
end of
November
last
year
reached
$4.353
billion
compared
with
$5.527
billion.
The
figure
is 25.1
percent
down in
terms of
value
over the
first 11
months
of 2000
and 54.7
percent
below
the
all-time
record
of $9.6
billion
made by
the end
of
November
1998.
US
exports
to Saudi
Arabia
dropped
to their
lowest
level
since
1990 at
the end
of
September
2002,
sliding
by 25.6
percent
to
$3.457
billion
over the
same
period
in 2001.
Washington's
exports
dropped
30.5
percent
in the
first
half of
2002, as
fallout
from the
September
11
attacks
continued
to
trouble
ties.
Saudi
exports
to its
main
Western
ally
also
dropped
7.5
percent
by the
end of
November
last
year to
$11.7
billion
from
$12.6
billion
in the
year-earlier
period.
A
grass-roots
campaign
to
boycott
US
products
in Saudi
Arabia
was
launched
in April
following
US
support
for an
Israeli
military
offensive
against
the
Palestinians.
Saudi
Arabia
is the
main US
trading
partner
in the
Middle
East,
with US
civilian
and
military
exports
valued
at $5.9
billion
and
imports
at $13.3
billion
in 2001,
according
to
official
figures.
The
Kingdom
is the
second
largest
importer
from the
US in
the
Middle
East
after
Israel,
but tops
the list
of
exporters.
The
two
countries
have a
total of
337
joint
ventures
with
investments
reaching
$22
billion.
Source:
Arab
News
[Reprinted
with
permission
of Arab
News]
BALANCING
TRADITION
AND THE
MODERN
WORLD
By
JON
SAWYER Post-Dispatch
01/26/2003
12:00 AM
RIYADH,
Saudi
Arabia -
Saudi
Arabia
is a
deeply
conservative
kingdom
that has
long
balanced
a fierce
commitment
to
Islamic
tradition
with a
close
embrace
of the
United
States.
Today,
the
run-up
to
possible
war
finds
the
kingdom
in an
unaccustomed
role on
the
sidelines
-
hesitant
to
endorse
President
George
W.
Bush's
campaign
against
Iraq and
facing
questions
from
Americans
about
whether
Saudi
Arabia
promotes
the sort
of
Islamic
extremism
that led
to the
Sept. 11
terrorist
attacks.
The
dramatic
turn of
events
has left
many
among
the
country's
governing
elite
feeling
bewildered
- even
betrayed
- as the
country
throws
itself
into the
twin
tasks of
staving
off war
and
repairing
its
image.
"The
American
people
and the
American
government
have
known
the
Saudis
for more
than 50
years,"
says
Tawfeeq
al-Sediry,
deputy
minister
of
Islamic
affairs.
"They
know
that we
are a
quiet
people,
that we
have
caused
no
problems.
But now,
after
the
Sept. 11
attacks,
there
has been
a
drastic
change."
[Expired
Link]
SAUDI
BASHING:
WHO'S
BEHIND
IT AND
WHY?
By
Delinda
C.
Hanley,
Special
to Arab
News
Public
criticism
of Saudi
Arabia
in the
mainstream
American
media
has
escalated
to new
heights
in
recent
months.
When
newscasters
and
columnists
have
exhausted
their
accusations
that
Iraq's
Saddam
Hussein
has
amassed
weapons
of mass
destruction
that
could be
used to
harm
Israel
or
supported
terror,
they
revert
to
tirades
against
the
Saudi
monarchy.
Why the
relentless
attacks?
And who
benefits
from a
US media
campaign
vilifying
Saudi
Arabia
along
with
Iraq?
In
addition
to the
media's
anti-Saudi
diatribes,
both
Democratic
and
Republican
legislators
are
goading
the Bush
administration
into a
public
confrontation.
Nor are
the
names of
those
pushing
the
buttons
unfamiliar
ones:
Sen.
John
McCain
(R-AZ),
former
House
Speaker
Newt
Gingrich
(R-GA),
Sen.
Charles
Schumer
(D-NY)
and
Joseph
Lieberman,
(D-CT),
and
Representatives
Tom
Lantos
(D-CA)
and
Frank R.
Wolf
(R-VA)
are
among
those on
both
sides of
the
aisle
waging a
campaign
to
discredit
Saudi
Arabia.
Charging
religious
intolerance,
they are
demanding
that the
Bush
administration
place
Saudi
Arabia
on a
list of
countries
of
"particular
concern"
-
thereby
opening
the door
to
possible
diplomatic
or
economic
sanctions.
This
tried-and-true
strategy
already
has been
used
most
effectively
to
isolate
and
demonize
Iraq,
Iran,
Libya,
and even
a
fledgling
Palestinian
state.
Perhaps
it is no
coincidence
that all
are
considered
enemies
by one
country
-
Israel.
When
Israel
feels
threatened
by a
rival
nation's
real or
potential
military
arsenal,
it is
usually
successful
in
convincing
Washington
that the
country
in
question
is evil,
harms
its own
people,
and is a
breeding
ground
for
terrorists.
Then,
presto!
Sanctions,
leading
to
economic
hardship
and
political
ignominy
soon are
imposed
on the
Israel-offending
state.
Since
1990,
Saudi
Arabia
has
purchased
- paying
cash -
$39.6
billion
worth of
military
equipment
from the
United
States -
hardly
hostile
behavior.
Israel,
however,
is
infuriated
by
Riyadh's
financial,
spiritual
and
political
support
of the
Palestinian
cause
and its
ability
to rally
international
support.
America's
Israel-first
journalists
and
politicians
thus
work
diligently
to
transform
the
public's
perception
of Saudi
Arabia
from
that of
a vital
longtime
partner
and ally
into an
American
enemy.
For
example,
Israel
and its
American
supporters
were
quick to
criticize
and
downplay
Crown
Prince
Abdullah's
Arab-Israeli
peace
plan. In
mid-January,
when
Saudi
diplomats
proposed
a way to
defuse
the
crisis
in Iraq,
their
country's
motives
were
analyzed
more
than
their
proposed
solution.
Long
before
9/11,
the US
media
and film
industry
has
engaged
in Arab-
and
Muslim-bashing.
Fair-minded
Americans
who
attended
school,
worked
or lived
with
Saudi
Arabians
and
other
Arabs
soon
became
friends
with
them,
and
ignored
the
media's
slant.
After
9/11,
individual
Americans
across
the
country
reached
out time
and
again to
their
Muslim
and Arab
neighbors
- even
to
strangers
- to
show
they
cared.
Like
people
around
the
world,
Salah
Obeid of
the
Saudi
Arabian
Public
Relations
And
Information
Office
was
devastated
by the
attacks,
and
mourns
friends
lost in
both the
Pentagon
and the
World
Trade
Towers.
The
Saudi
diplomat
remembers
his
neighbor's
concern
for him
as he
offered
Obeid a
ride
into his
Washington,
DC
office
the
following
day.
Obeid's
friend
said he,
for one,
could
not
punish
his
neighbor
for
someone
else's
crime.
While
most
individual
Americans
still do
not
blame a
nation
or
religion
for the
crimes
of a
few,
that may
not
remain
the
case.
Among
the
media
and US
legislators
are
those
working
overtime
to point
fingers
and whip
up
American
anger
and
generate
calls
for
revenge.
They
promote
the
un-American
concept
of guilt
by
association.
Hence
the
media's
relentless
attack
on both
Saudi
Arabia
and Iraq
as the
US is
dragged
closer
to war
in the
region.
"The
evil
done by
a few
Muslims
has been
expanded
in the
American
media to
include
all
Muslims,"
explained
Khaled
Al-Maeena,
editor-in-chief
of the
Arab
News.
"The
anti-Islamic
hysteria
and the
defamation
of
Muslims
and
their
leaders
has been
a
well-planned,
well-orchestrated
effort."
Most
front-page
stories
in the
mainstream
US press
describe
the
Saudi
response
to the
anti-terrorism
campaign
as
"grudging."
Allegations
that
money
given by
the
Saudi
ambassador's
wife for
medical
aid may
have
been
diverted
to two
of the
9/11
attackers
received
much
excited
media
attention.
Media
outlets
are fed
by
various
"think
tanks"
working
together
to spew
out
anti-Arab
and
pro-Israel
propaganda.
Among
those is
the
Jewish
Institute
for
National
Security
Affairs
(JINSA)
in
Washington,
DC,
which,
in
addition
to its
briefings,
arranges
free
trips to
Israel
for
journalists
and
public
officials.
The
Washington
Institute
for Near
East
Policy,
also
based in
the
national
capital,
boasts a
bevy of
Middle
East
terrorism
experts,
including
Matthew
Levitt
and
Patrick
Clawson,
who can
be
counted
on for
sound
bites
calling
Saudi
Arabia a
"state
facilitator"
of
terrorism.
Rarely
if ever
is the
institute
identified
as a
spin-off
of the
American
Israel
Public
Affairs
Committee
(AIPAC),
Israel's
Washington
lobby.
The
Washington
Center
for
Peace
and
Justice,
Inc., a
charitable
organization
based in
Arlington,
VA, has
an
elegant
Web site
that
focuses
on
"victims
of Saudi
kidnapping"
and
calls
for a
boycott
of Saudi
oil
import.
Featured
on the
Web site
are the
gripping
June
2002
testimonies
before
the US
House of
Representatives
by
Monica
Stowers,
Pat
Roush
and Ria
Davis.
Also to
be found
on the
Web site
is a
statement
by
discredited
terrorist
expert
Daniel
Pipes,
who
wages a
vicious
personal
crusade
against
Islam in
the
press.
Thanks
to this
organization,
Saudi
Arabia,
whose
nationals
are
involved
in 46
child
custody
cases,
receives
more
adverse
publicity
and
public
scrutiny,
than,
for
example,
Germany,
with 116
similar
"kidnapping"
cases.
Saudi
Arabia
also is
a
favorite
target
of the
Anti-Defamation
League (ADL),
which,
in
addition
to
spreading
disinformation
about
the
Middle
East
conflict,
censors,
criticizes,
reviews,
and
protests
any
activities,
articles
or
speeches
it
perceives
as being
anti-Israel
(as
being,
by
definition,
"anti-Semitic").
In
October
2002 the
Council
on
Foreign
Relations
released
a report
blaming
Saudi
Arabian
charities
and
individuals
for
funding
Al-Qaeda.
The
council,
which is
chaired
by
Maurice
Greenberg,
chief
executive
of
American
International
Group (AIG),
and
whose
members
include
former
CIA and
FBI
Director
William
Webster,
and
Stuart
Eizenstat,
deputy
Treasury
secretary
under
President
Bill
Clinton,
called
for a
tough
campaign
to
denounce
countries
such as
Saudi
Arabia
for not
cooperating
in
curbing
terrorist
financing,
threatening
them
with
sanctions
if they
fail to
improve.
A
Rand
Corporation
study
presented
on the
Hill at
a
Defense
Policy
Board
briefing
on July
10
raised a
ruckus
when it
accused
the
Saudis
of
complicity
"at
every
level of
the
terror
chain."
The
study
recommended
that the
US
threaten
Saudi
Arabia
with
military
and
financial
measures,
including
seizing
Saudi
oil
fields
and
Saudi
assets
in the
US,
unless
the
Kingdom
ends its
support
for
"Islamic
insurgency
groups."
The
deviously
misnamed
Saudi
Institute
for
Development
and
Studies,
a think
tank in
McLean,
VA,
produces
aggressive
hate-filled
media
releases
to
discredit
the
Kingdom.
It
recently
initiated
a joint
project
with
Foundation
for the
Defense
of
Democracies
to track
and
study
"the
spread
of hate
against
Americans"
by Saudi
Arabians.
The
institute
also
urges
the
American
people
and
their
leaders
to
respond
"appropriately"
by
expelling
Saudi
diplomats.
These
are but
a few of
the
organizations
working
night
and day
to
promote
hatred
and
distrust
between
two old
friends.
One has
to
wonder
at the
extent
of this
"interest"
in a
long-time
US ally.
Nevertheless,
at the
prodding
of
Israel-firsters
from
these
and
other
think
tanks
whose
goal is
to
isolate
and
neutralize
Saudi
Arabia,
Washington
appears
willing
to toss
aside
decades
of
friendship
- not to
mention
a key
ally in
a vital
region.
Domestically,
the
American
media
and
government
are
creating
a
climate
of
hysteria
and fear
in which
distrust
of
Muslims
and
Arabs
can
flourish.
A recent
FBI
bulletin
stated:
"In
selecting
its next
targets,
sources
suggest
Al-Qaeda
may
favor
spectacular
attacks
that
meet
several
criteria:
High
symbolic
value,
mass
casualties,
severe
damage
to the
US
economy,
and
maximum
psychological
trauma."
The
press
leaks
periodic
warnings
of
impending
attacks
and
hypes
nationwide
searches
of
"foreign-born
men"
that
turn out
to be
bogus.
In this
highly
charged
climate,
the INS
and FBI
have
inflicted
humiliating
interrogations
on Saudi
businessmen,
students
and
their
associates.
Males
aged 16
and
older
from
Arab and
Muslim
countries
now are
required
to
register
with the
Immigration
and
Naturalization
Service
and many
of those
who have
voluntarily
complied
have
been
arrested
and/or
deported.
Since
9/11,
the
government
also has
shut
down
Islamic-
and
Saudi-funded
charities
and
businesses,
frozen
their
bank
accounts
and
detained
their
officers
without
charges.
Not
surprisingly,
in the
past
year
Arab
business
and
tourist
travel
to the
US has
plummeted,
according
to a
Nov. 26
Washington
Post
article,
"costing
American
businesses
hundreds
of
millions
of
dollars.
US
exports
have
dropped
by 25
percent
from
last
year,
costing
the
United
States
at least
$1.5
billion."
The
impact
of
scaring
off
Saudi
Arabian
business
"is
more
substantial
than
people
realize
or want
to
recognize,"
noted
Charles
Kestenbaum,
a former
US
Embassy
commercial
officer
in Saudi
Arabia.
"We're
treating
all
Saudis
as if
they're
terrorists.
Our
inability
to
distinguish
between
who is a
friend
and an
enemy
turns
everyone
into an
enemy.
It's a
self-fulfilling
prophecy."
The
Nov. 26
Post
article
quoted
Mohamed
Al-Ghamdi,
a Saudi
journalist
who
studied
in the
US, as
saying:
"We
are
hurt. We
don't go
to
America
anymore.
We are
afraid
of you.
America
is
engaged
in war
and
thinks
we're
responsible."
"It
hurts my
feelings
when I
open up
the
newspaper
and read
something
bad
about my
country,"
Abdul
Mohsen
Al-Yas,
Saudi
Arabia's
director
of
information,
told the
Washington
Report.
At
the Dec.
3 news
conference
cited at
the
beginning
of this
article,
Al-Jubair
announced
both new
and
existing
counter-terrorism
measures,
denying
press
claims
that his
government
had
dragged
its feet
in
fighting
terrorism.
The
press
conference
was an
attempt
to
explain
to the
press
what
Riyadh
had been
doing
quietly,
out of
the
limelight.
After
9/11,
Al-Jubair
said,
the
Kingdom
froze 33
suspicious
bank
accounts
worth
$5.6
million,
questioned
more
than
2,000
people,
ordered
financial
audits
of Saudi
charities,
and
established
new
rules
for
sending
humanitarian
donations
outside
the
country.
While
the
media
reiterate
that 15
of the
19
hijackers
were
Saudi
Arabian
nationals,
rarely
is it
mentioned
that
Al-Qaeda
has been
as
determined
to
damage
Saudi
Arabia
as it is
to
attack
the US
In fact,
Al-Jubair
charged,
"We
believe
Al-Qaeda
chose
Saudis
to give
the
operation
a Saudi
face and
drive a
wedge
between
the two
countries.
"What
we need
to do,
as we
have
done,"
he told
the
assembled
American
reporters,
"is
join
hands,
wrack
our
brains
together,
and find
ways to
fight
the
scourge
of
terrorism."
After
all, the
only
beneficiaries
of an
end to
the
longtime
friendship
between
the
United
States
and
Saudi
Arabia
are
Israel
and
Osama
Bin
Laden.
-
Delinda
C.
Hanley
is the
news
editor
of the Washington
Report
on
Middle
East
Affairs
magazine.
Source:
Arab
News,
Features,
February
2, 2003
[Reprinted
with
permission
of Arab
News]
THE
ARCH
INSPIRES
A SAUDI
PRINCE
01/29/2003
09:37 AM
Sunday's
article
on Saudi
Arabia
was
accompanied
by a
picture
of the
Kingdom
Tower in
Riyadh.
The
photo
caption
notes,
"Many
buildings
in the
city
give
reference
to the
Kingdom
of Saudi
Arabia."
While
that's
true, it
is not
quite
accurate
in this
case.
The
"Kingdom"
in
Kingdom
Tower is
a
reference
to the
Kingdom
Holding
Co.,
which
occupies
the
building.
The
Kingdom
Holding
Co. is
owned by
Prince
Alwaleed
Bin
Talal
Bin
Abdulaziz
Al Saud,
the
wealthy
investor
who,
among
other
things,
is the
largest
shareholder
in
Citicorp.
In
March
1997,
the
prince
invested
$20
million
in TWA
stock.
At the
time, I
was
TWA's
vice
president
for
corporate
communications.
Later
that
year,
the
prince's
folks
called
to tell
us he
would be
in St.
Louis on
Dec. 14
-
apparently
he liked
to fly
around
the
world
every
now and
then and
peek in
on stuff
he owned
- and he
would
appreciate
a
meeting
with the
senior
management.
So we
picked
him up
at
Lambert
Field,
drove
him
through
downtown
in a
motorcade
and had
a nice
meeting.
Afterward,
I asked
him if
there
was
anything
he
wanted
to do
before
we went
back to
the
airport,
and he
said he
wanted
to see
"it."
After a
little
hand
gesturing,
it
became
apparent
that the
"it"
to which
he
referred
was the
Gateway
Arch. So
we piled
back in
the
limousine,
drove
down on
Wharf
Street,
and the
prince
and I
got out
and
walked
up the
stairs
to look
at the
Arch. He
stood
under it
for a
few
minutes,
made a
few
mental
notes
and then
said,
"OK.
Let's
go."
Later,
we
learned
that he
was, at
that
time, in
the
final
stages
of
design
approval
for the
Kingdom
Tower,
his
personal
monument
that
would
tower
over
Riyadh.
And
if you
take
another
look at
the
picture
of
Kingdom
Tower,
you will
understand
what the
prince
was
doing on
Wharf
Street
on the
night of
Dec. 14,
1997. He
was
imagining
what the
Gateway
Arch
would
look
like if
he
turned
it
upside
down and
glued it
to the
top of
his
building.
Apparently,
he liked
what he
saw.
Mark
E. Abels
Ladue
Source:
St.
Louis
Post-Dispatch |
