DHAHRAN DIGEST 5

UNCLAS RIYADH 001982

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DHAHRAN SENDS
PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON SOCI PREL SA
SUBJECT: DHAHRAN DIGEST 5

REF: RIYADH 123

Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly.

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The Trials of Aspiring Female Scientists in KSA
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1. (SBU) During a recent lunch with PolOff, an appointed
member of the Al-Ahsa municipal council who is also an
American-educated professor of plant physiology fielded two
phone calls from students. The first was from a female
graduate student who needed help on some laboratory research
she was conducting. After finishing a conversation that
included many "insha'allahs," the professor explained, "I
feel very sorry for her but I cannot give her the help she
needs. We cannot work in the same lab, so I have to type up
lab instructions in a memo for her to follow. She is not
even allowed to use the lab at the university and has to use
an inferior lab at nearby college for women. It is very
difficult for her to work by herself, without guidance
in-person." The second call was from a friend who wanted to
relay the exciting news that his son had just received his
visa to study in the U.S. There were far more "mabrooks"
than "insha'allahs."

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Dubai Ports World Issue Still Making Waves
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2. (SBU) Walid Al-Zamil, the Zamil brother with strategic
responsibility for the Bahrain operations of his family's
business empire, told ConOffs recently that the public outcry
in the U.S. against Dubai Ports World's planned takeover of
operations at several U.S. ports had hit the Gulf's business
community hard. "People are wondering if its racism, or just
politics," he said. He also noted that the Free Trade
Agreement between Bahrain and the U.S. was causing
uncertainty in Bahrain's business community. "I think the
government needs to do a better job explaining what it will
mean," Al-Zamil said.

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Journalist Comes Up Empty in Trip to EP
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3. (SBU) An AP reporter who planned to research several
stories on the Eastern Province (EP) recently came away
empty-handed. This reporter, who had a visa to enter the
Kingdom to cover the Jeddah Economic Forum (JEF),wanted to
write on the Shi'a and on Aramco. However his editors nixed
the Shi'a story as AP is seeking to open a bureau in Riyadh
and did not wish to offend the SAG at this time. In
addition, the reporter was not given permission by the
Ministry of Petroleum to visit Aramco, in spite of assurances
to the contrary. A request to visit Aramco by a visiting
Council on Foreign Relations fellow and author met the same
end. (Note: All JEF visas expired on February 17, so it was
easy for the Ministry to follow a "delay until too late"
strategy. End note.)

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Turning Away from the Public Sector?
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4. (SBU) One oft-cited reason for Saudi unemployment is that
young Saudis do not want to work in the private sector,
preferring the security of a government office job. In
talking with several promising young public and quasi-public
sector employees recently, PolOff has heard different
sentiments. Several of these young men expressed a desire to
test their mettle in the private sector, sensing greater
opportunities and greater rewards. "The government doesn't
reward you for good work and doesn't encourage you to grow
professionally," noted a young Dammam Municipality employee
currently detailed to the Dammam Municipal Council. To the
extent that the ambitions and motivation of these young men
are widespread, their sentiments are a promising sign for
private sector development in Saudi Arabia but also suggest
that the government will need to reform its employment and
incentive structures if it hopes to retain talent.

(APPROVED: KINCANNON)
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