RIYADH RECORD: JUNE 21-30 2006

S E C R E T RIYADH 005278 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/03/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL SA PINR SUBJECT: RIYADH RECORD: JUNE 21-30 2006 REF: A. A) RIYADH 5167 ¶B. B) RIYADH 5135 ¶C. C) RIYADH 5136. Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Michael Gfoeller for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (U) This cable serves as the inaugural edition of the Riyadh Record, which will provide weekly summaries of key political events in the Kingdom. ¶2. (S) SUMMARY: During the course of the past few weeks, there has been an increase in the dialogue between supporters of King Abdullah,s reforms and Saudi conservatives strongly opposed to the reforms. Ambassador Khalilzad from Embassy Baghdad met with senior SAG officials in Jeddah to discuss security and the future of Iraq. The Saudi waiver rollout concerning International Religious Freedom moved forward in collaboration with the FM. Cables written of interest include the issue of counterreformation, funding of the religious police and reporting on Ambassador Khalilzad's visit. END SUMMARY. -------------- COUNTER-REFORMATION: -------------- ¶3. (S) Counter-reformation Manifesto Launched: Following a series of reforms seen as challenging the prominence of the religious establishment, 61 religious scholars published an open letter, called "A Warning and a Statement," to the Kingdom's rulers. This manifesto warned the SAG against a 'gang' of people with "westernizing deviant orientation" who have been successful in influencing decision-making in the Kingdom and who are in direct contact with and influenced by foreign embassies. They warned that this 'gang' must repent; if they do not do so, then they must be fought and killed. The manifesto, released May 23, is the first from main-stream religious circles to explicitly raise the possibility of violence against advocates of reform. This manifesto comes as no surprise, with increasing dialogue on the reform debate visible. However, the increasing energy, organization and intelligence of the conservative rhetoric is cause for concern (Ref B, Ref C). -------------- DEMOCRATIC REFORM: -------------- ¶4. (C) Response to the Kuwaiti Elections: On June 29, the Kuwaiti Parliament held elections, allowing women to run as candidates and vote for the first time. Twenty-seven women candidates ran, but none were elected. Most Saudi media reported that the elections signaled progress for women's political participation, while others ran comments stating that the losses were due to a lack of confidence in the female candidates. Writers on many Arabic-language internet sites, however, voiced strong opinions that women have no place in politics, claiming that women's participation in Parliament, shoulder-rubbing with men and pictures of women candidates in newspapers were in direct violation of Islam. Although the state-controlled Saudi media generally showed the Kuwaiti parliamentary elections as a sign of general progress for women's rights and political participation, there remains a strong, conservative element of Saudi society adamantly opposed to reformation efforts. The strong response by Saudi conservatives to the elections is consistent with the recent trend of counter-reformation (see septel). ¶5. (C) Advisory Rulings of Majlis al-Shoura: The struggle between the reformation and counter-reformation movements in Saudi Arabia is escalating. On June 27, the Majlis al-Shoura, an advisory council to the government and quasi parliament, for the first time rejected proposals by one of its committees supporting the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (a.k.a. the 'Mutaawa' or religious police). Although the Majlis al-Shoura is only an advisory body, its opposition to the religious police on the basis of lack of information and accountability is groundbreaking. As this act was a rare move, following whether the SAG heeds their advice, which flies directly in the face of the delicate balance that the SAG strikes with the religious establishment, is critical (Ref A). -------------- FREEDOM OF RELIGION: -------------- ¶6. (S) The Saudi Waiver rollout process began the last week of June. Ambassador Hanford and the Saudi Foreign Ministry have agreed upon a plan to address several areas of concern, including curriculum, tolerance and private worship. It appears that the SAG is serious about this issue. We will closely monitor the SAG's implementation of its commitments. -------------- AMBASSADOR KHALILZAD'S VISIT: -------------- ¶7. (S) On June 27, Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad met with Saudi Crown Prince Sultan, King Abdullah and the Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Saud Al-Faisal. They discussed the new Iraqi government, the recently announced Iraqi national reconciliation plan, detainees, and the continuing destabilizing influence of Iran in Iraq. Ambassador Khalilzad reiterated earlier requests for the Kingdom,s political and economic assistance to help stabilize and reconstruct Iraq, and contain Iran,s increasing influence among Iraqi Shi'a. Only four days after their meetings, senior SAG officials including the King, Crown Prince, Foreign Minister, Defense and Aviation Minister, Inspector General, Secretary General of the National Security Council, along with several others, received the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nour Kamel al-Maliki, for the first time. Press reports suggest that Maliki was warmly received by the SAG leaders. If so, such a reception may be a long-awaited, positive signal of support to the Iraqi government, and indicated the SAG's commitment to stability and development in Iraq (see septel). -------------- TRANSFER OF GUANTANAMO DETAINEES: -------------- ¶8. (C) On June 25, 14 Guantanamo detainees were transferred to Saudi authority, including a non-Saudi citizen, Ahmad Sadik Turkestani. The Ministry of Interior (MOI) has told Emboffs that all of the detainees will be incarcerated in the Kingdom until the SAG rules they are eligible for release and reintegration into society. The detainees arrived in the Kingdom in the middle of the night with no media fanfare or public demonstrations. The Saudi public remains suspicious of the cause of death of the suicides earlier in the month and continues to publicly denounce the legitimacy of the Guantanamo facility (see septel). OBERWETTER