JEDDAH ECONOMIC FORUM CONCLUDES WITH OPTIMISM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JEDDAH 000197 SIPDIS SIPDIS RIYADH, PLEASE PASS TO DHAHRAN; DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARPI; PARIS FOR ZEYA; LONDON FOR TSOU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON KISL PREL SA SUBJECT: JEDDAH ECONOMIC FORUM CONCLUDES WITH OPTIMISM REF: A. JEDDAH 140 ¶B. JEDDAH 145 ¶1. SUMMARY: On February 13, the Jeddah Economic Forum (JEF) concluded its three-day run after a variety of speeches promoting the Saudi economy as an economy no longer based solely on oil. A recurrent subtext of the talks was the fact that Saudi Arabia was becoming integrated into a global economy. A number of international celebrities spoke on information technology (IT),tax policy, and the place of Arabs in the international community. Western speakers were frequently confronted by questions relating to Palestine, Iraq, and visas. One session emphasized the importance of environmental preservation. The role of women in JEF and the Saudi economy was a prominent subject of discussion. END SUMMARY. SAUDI ARABIA IS GROWING AND OPENING ¶2. The Jeddah Economic Forum (JEF) continued on February 12 and 13. Few of the speeches given by a diverse group of Saudi and foreign speakers could actually be said to have conformed to the announced theme: "Seeding Potentials for Economic Growth: Honoring Identity and Celebrating Common Grounds," but were well-received by the large audience nevertheless. If any theme or general trend was evident in the numerous talks it would probably be: the Saudi economy is growing rapidly, the world is interested, and Saudi Arabia is now looking outwards. A Saudi contact involved in the expansion of the Jeddah Islamic Port, who has frequently attended JEF, commented that everything seemed much more open and outward-looking this year compared to previous years, and he hoped it meant that Saudi Arabia was really opening to the world. ¶3. If one discounts the addresses by the "celebrity" speakers, the majority of the sessions stressed the growth of the non-oil sector of the Saudi economy and the prospect for trade and investment with the rest of the world. As an example, Fawaz Al Alami and two Americans associated with his negotiations on behalf of Saudi Arabia's accession to WTO offered a perspective on "Saudi Arabia Beyond the WTO." This well-attended seminar promoted foreign direct investment under WTO and described the potential changes in the Saudi economy. Other speeches and questions emphasized trade and business opportunities. COMMENT: Although the initial Saudi response to WTO accession was muted, there now seems to be growing realization that WTO may offer substantial economic benefits and Saudis are actively looking abroad for both trade opportunities and investment partners for projects within the Kingdom. Furthermore, the many foreigners in attendance indicate that they are actively seeking opportunities in Saudi Arabia. END COMMENT. GHANA AS AN EXAMPLE OF RESPONSIVE GOVERNMENT ¶4. Among the speeches given by international celebrities, may be noted those by Jerry Rawlings, Steve Forbes, and Al Gore. Rawlings, former President of Ghana, spoke with a verve that would have done credit to a television infomercial huckster. To an appreciative audience, Rawlings explained that the key to national stability and development were for a government to be: transparent, responsive to popular demands, empowering of people, and accountable. He offered examples from his administration in Ghana as how to implement these principles. STEVE FORBES: FLAT-TAX PANACEA FOR ILLS OF DEVELOPING NATIONS ¶5. Publisher and some-time Presidential candidate Steve Forbes strenuously advocated the flat-tax from his past campaign platform as the road to prosperity for developing nations. Some among the audience thought he may have over-reached somewhat when he explicitly cited tax reform and the flat tax as the solution to Sudan's economic woes. GORE PROMOTES IT TO CONNECT DEVELOPING NATIONS TO GLOBAL ECONOMY ¶6. Former Vice President Al Gore gave a vigorous and popular talk about the role of information technology in integrating Saudi Arabia into the global economy. Another portion of his speech praised King Abdullah for his honesty and efforts to JEDDAH 00000197 002 OF 003 stem corruption, to the warm applause of the audience. In other comments, he condemned Iran and recommended that Middle Eastern nations also condemn the Islamic Republic. PALESTINE, IRAQ AND VISAS ¶7. Following his prepared remarks, Gore was questioned about the perceived "anti-Islamic, anti-Arab" tenor of U.S. policy since 9/11. One questioner confronted Gore demanding "when will the United States stop giving unconditional support to Israel?" The former Vice President responded that the U.S. is a strong friend and will not abandon Israel. He made no specific comments about the policy of the current administration, and expressed support for peace with security for all parties. In reference to general U.S. policy toward Arabs and Muslims, he said that personally he believed that immigration and visa policy changes enacted after the terrorist attacks were a serious mistake that exacerbated U.S.-Islamic tensions. This comment was applauded by the Saudi audience. In fact, few American or European speakers were spared questions relating to Palestine, Iraq and visas. When questioned about the Arab-Israeli Conflict, former German Chancellor Schroeder replied that Arabs must recognize the right of Israel to exist. The critical issue, in his opinion, was how the parties can coexist. He stated that the "road map" is the only viable route to peace at the moment and that the U.S. was the key to influencing Israel and the Arabs. He concluded by observing that the Arabs had a critical role to play in solving regional problems and noted that Russia had informed HAMAS that it must act responsibly now that it had come to power. ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS RECOGNIZED AT JEF ¶8. In a diversion from the purely economic, influential young business leader Tarek Taher showed a well-produced and heart-felt documentary on the environmental threats to the Red Sea. This is an indication of the increasing awareness in Saudi Arabia of the importance of the environment, and especially the Red Sea, as both an economic and a cultural asset. WOMEN INCREASINGLY SEEN AT JEF ¶9. Women and women's issues were a benchmark for the JEF. Although the Consulate had earlier been warned that the Consul General would be "permitted" to sit in the men's section when accompanying the Ambassador, other women were advised to "respect local customs" and restrict themselves to the women's section. However, over the course of the Forum, Consulate staff observed a small, but continuous stream of women attired in Western clothes moving in and out of the men's section without hindrance. Additionally, rather then being completely obscured, the first few rows of the women's section, where the most important women were seated, was clearly visible from a good portion of the male section. Outside the meeting hall, the women's section of the lobby was in plain view and readily accessible from the men's section. The two lobbies were separated not by an opaque wall but by a large scale model of the proposed King Abudllah Economic City. This model was fronted by a wide passage and both male and female viewers moved from one side of the lobby to the other to examine the various portions of the model, apparently oblivious to the fact that they had trespassed on the forbidden domain of the opposite sex. ¶10. Throughout the forum, women speakers were seated on the dais with men, without arousing any comment from the audience. Speakers and moderators, both foreign and Saudi, acknowledged the presence of the female audience and accepted almost an equal number of questions from them. It must be admitted, however, that some of the Saudi men addressed the women with a tinge of condescension to their voices. Although some critics complained that the women's comments and questions reflected unseemly emotion (and by extension, instability and unreliability),most of the women's questions heard by Pol/Econ Chief were reasonable, practical queries. The few times the questions betrayed emotion were occasions such as the one where a frustrated woman heatedly asked how can women get jobs if they can't work in the same building as the men? GLASS WALLS, BRICK CEILINGS AND THE MIXING OF THE SEXES JEDDAH 00000197 003 OF 003 ¶11. A session late on the 3rd day dealt explicitly with the issue of women's place in the modern world, titled "Glass Walls, Brick Ceilings: Impediments to the Progress of Women in the Workplace." Moderator Tim Marshall, Foreign Editor of Sky News, UK, held an impromptu poll, asking the segregated audience whether they approved of mixing of the sexes in the workplace. He faulted the male audience for their reluctance to take any stand on the issue, only a few registering support and a single, "brave," to use Marshall's words, man publicly exhibiting his disapproval. However Marshall declared that the sequestered female audience voted overwhelmingly to permit sexes to mix in workplaces. SOME COMPLAIN THAT ARABIC IS NOT RESPECTED ¶12. In an issue that was to spill out of the JEF into the press, Dr. Ghassan Al-Sulaiman, a former President of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI),complained that virtually all of the speakers spoke in English. He felt that this degraded Arabic. In conferences held in France or Germany, he insisted, the speeches would be in the local language and translated into English and other languages. Several in the audience endorsed his remarks, and the debate was carried on for a few days in the Saudi press. A number of correspondents supported the contention that Arabic should be used exclusively, while opponents argued that facility in English is an invaluable asset in international intercourse, and as a practical matter, most of the speakers could speak English, but very few spoke Arabic. Curiously, of the three speeches Pol/Econ Chief attended that were given in Arabic, two were given by women. Additionally, a greater proportion of the questions emanating from the women's side of the hall were in Arabic than from the men's. This could indicate that the women attending had less facility in English, but one of the women who gave a speech in Arabic on other occasions demonstrated an excellent command of English. It is conceivable that the women, in making inroads into the men's world of business did not wish to arouse conservative critics further by seeming to belittle their language, and strove to demonstrate that they can be good, patriotic, Arabic-speaking Saudis. Gfoeller