Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05RIYADH9433
2005-12-21 08:51:00
SECRET
Embassy Riyadh
Cable title:  

HASSAN AL-SAFFAR CONTINUES TO DECLINE TO MEET USG

Tags:  PREL PGOV SA 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
S E C R E T RIYADH 009433 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DHAHRAN SENDS
PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/21/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV SA
SUBJECT: HASSAN AL-SAFFAR CONTINUES TO DECLINE TO MEET USG
OFFICIALS BUT SEEKS US VISA

Classified by Consul General John Kincannon for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).

S E C R E T RIYADH 009433

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DHAHRAN SENDS
PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/21/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV SA
SUBJECT: HASSAN AL-SAFFAR CONTINUES TO DECLINE TO MEET USG
OFFICIALS BUT SEEKS US VISA

Classified by Consul General John Kincannon for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).


1. (C) Post has requested a meeting with Shi'ite cleric and
leader Hassan Al-Saffar through several intermediaries,
principally Salman and Nathir Al-Jishi. Al-Saffar is
generally agreed by most of post's interlocutors to be the
preeminent leader in the Saudi Shi'a community and the
primarily, but not sole, intermediary between the Shi'a
community and the Saudi government. For years, Al-Saffar has
shunned contacts with American diplomats and has turned us
down again, most recently saying, according to Nathir
Al-Jishi, "U.S. diplomats will gain nothing by meeting me, at
least at the present time, and I may stand to lose a lot."
The Jishi brothers have said several times to consulate
officers that Al-Saffar is a "national figure" who does not
wish to engage with diplomats. "He would not meet with the
Iranian Ambassador if he requested it," Nathir, who worked as
an assistant to Al-Saffar for several years, told us.


2. (C) On the other hand, Al-Saffar is seeking a visa to the
United States. He contacted post through intermediaries
during Ramadan, sharing a letter of invitation from Dr. Ned
Fawaz, chairman of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn,
Michigan. As he hoped to spend the end of Ramadan in the
U.S., post advised Al-Saffar that he would not be able to get
a visa in time, and he withdrew the request temporarily. He
has since made clear that he wishes to pursue the visa
application.


3. (S) Comment: Al-Saffar's reply to our request for a
meeting can be read in several different ways. He may be
concerned that meeting with us would raise his profile enough
to upset whatever accommodation he and the SAG have. He
likely also has ties with clerics and leaders in Iran, who
would view any meeting between us with suspicion. End
comment.


4. (C) Bio note: Al-Saffar is a Shi'ite cleric who went
into exile in Iran and Syria following the SAG crackdown on
Shi'ite rioting in 1979. He returned to the Kingdom in the
mid-1990s, having reached an understanding with the Saudi
government. According to his passport, Al-Saffar was born on
January 20, 1958. End bio note.

(APPROVED: KINCANNON)
GFOELLER