RIYADH RECORD: JULY 21-29 2006

S E C R E T RIYADH 006103

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR SA
SUBJECT: RIYADH RECORD: JULY 21-29 2006

REF: A. A) RIYADH 5876


B. B) RIYADH 6038

C. C) RIYADH 5952

D. D) RIYADH 5907.

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Michael Gfoeller for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: The Saudi mood, as reflected in critical
statements issued by clerics and appearing on internet chat
sites, is becoming increasingly anti-U.S. Debate abounds
among religious scholars who continue to raise the issue of
Shi'a versus Sunni and the question of whether Saudis should
support Hizballah. King Abdullah met with President Abbas
and President Mubarak and telephoned a Lebanese
Parliamentarian and French President Chirac on the crisis in
Palestine and Lebanon. The Foreign Minister engaged in
shuttle diplomacy, traveling to Washington, London and Moscow
to push for a cease fire in Lebanon. The Majlis al-Shoura
issued a statement denouncing Israeli actions in the region;
in media interviews, members of the council spoke about the
role of women consultants in the council. Crown Prince
Sultan signed two military cooperation agreements in France,
but no new deals were finalized. END SUMMARY.

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LEBANON CRISIS
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2. (S) The Saudi public mood is increasingly negative
towards the United States because of the crisis in Lebanon.
There are daily op-ed pieces condemning U.S. support for
Israel and "unwillingness" to call for an immediate
cease-fire. Many Saudi clerics, academics, and intellectuals
have issued statements to this effect on both conservative
and moderate websites. There was a massive outpouring of
public statements of anger and sadness regarding the
situation in Lebanon (Ref A and septel).


3. (C) Recently, three revered Wahhabi sheikhs issued
advisory opinions on their own authority on the question of
support for Hizballah. On July 17, prominent Wahhabi Sheikh
Abdullah bin Jabreen issued an advisory opinion, reported as
a fatwa declaring it impermissible for Muslims to support
Hizballah in any manner, including through prayers. In
contrast, another prominent conservative religious scholar,
Salman al-Oudah, issued an advisory opinion July 22, also
reported as a fatwa, that emphasized the need for Shi'a and
Sunnis to unite against Israeli aggression. This sentiment
was echoed on July 25 by Sheikh Nasir al-Omar, a conservative
cleric known for his stance against Hizballah, who issued a
long commentary on a conservative website discussing the need
to unite against Zionist aggression. He also criticized the
role of the U.S. government in Lebanon, Palestine, and Iraq
(Ref B).


4. (C) On July 26, state-owned Saudi television channel 1
aired a telethon to raise cash to support the Lebanese
people. The campaign was successful, with approximately $29
million raised. Additionally, the SAG pledged $1.5 billion
to support Lebanon's reconstruction efforts and stabilize its
economy. Several extremist websites, along with some
mainstream media, criticized the government's humanitarian
assistance, arguing that the SAG did not have public consent
to donate these funds, and that there was no public
accountability. One posting on the al-Sahat website posed
the following questions: "Imagine that such decisions cannot
be passed before being approved by a free and elected Shoura
Council. Could such decision be passed? Is it reasonable
that the public funds are the private property of the King
who can spend it as he likes?"

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PALESTINIAN CRISIS
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5. (U) King Abdullah met with President Abbas in Jeddah on
July 29 to discuss the Palestinian situation, in a bid to
increase support as well as distinguish the Palestinian
crisis from the Lebanese crisis. President Abbas thanked
King Abdullah for his financial assistance to the Palestinian
people and praised the Saudi position regarding the
Palestinian people's right to establish an independent state
with Jerusalem as its capital. President Abbas and King
Abdullah also dealt with current events in the Palestinian
territories and blamed the "Israeli war machine" for the
humanitarian crisis, increased bloodshed, and the continuing
destruction of Palestinian infrastructure.

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DEMOCRATIC REFORM
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6. (C) The Majlis al-Shoura (Council) continued issuing
advisory opinions, including a statement condemning Israel's
acts against the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples. In a July
23 statement, the Council denounced the targeting of
civilians and infrastructure in Lebanon as a "flagrant
violation" of international treaties and laws, and called on
the world community to condemn Israeli aggression, in
addition to urging accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative
approved during the 14th Arab summit in Beirut in 2002. This
statement illustrates the Shoura Council's increasing
presence in the political forum, albeit by taking a popular
stance that neither condemns nor praises Hizballah and is in
line with the SAG's pronouncements.


7. (U) The Vice President of the Council, along with one of
the recently-appointed women consultants, Dr. Bahija Ezze,
appeared in the media commending the new role of women in the
quasi-legislature. Dr. Ezze explained the role of women
consultants as providing opinions on issues pertaining to
women through the Social and Family Affairs Committee.
Although critics condemned the limitations placed on the
women consultants, Dr. Ezze is confident that this gradual
approach towards increasing women's rights is the right one.
She stated that, "The final goal is processing and
preparation for the positive participation of women. I
expect that there would be permanent participation of women
in the council soon. We trust in the vision and caution of
our wise government that puts women in the right place at the
right time."

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VIP VISITS
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8. (C) King Abdullah and Egyptian President Mubarak met
July 25 to consult on the Lebanon crisis. Stating that Saudi
Arabia and Egypt hold identical views on the situation, both
leaders called for an immediate cease-fire, warning that
continued Israeli aggression could engulf the entire region
in war. Additionally, King Abdullah issued a royal statement
warning that continued Israeli aggression could produce
"dangerous results," and cautioned that "patience cannot go
on forever and if the Israeli military savagery continues to
kill and destroy, no one can predict what would happen, and
if the forbidden takes place, regret would be useless." (Ref
C).


9. (C) Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal traveled to
Washington, London, and Moscow to meet with leaders to lobby
for a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon. Following his
July 23 trip to Washington, the Foreign Minister met with
Iraqi Premier al-Maleki in London on July 25 to discuss the
situations in both Iraq and Lebanon. Also on July 25, the
Foreign Minister met with Russian President Putin in Moscow.
Additionally, King Abdullah had telephone conversations with
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berry and French President
Chirac to discuss the situation in Lebanon. This level of
diplomatic activity is unusual for the SAG and demonstrates
their commitment to this issue.

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US DEFENSE CONTRACTS
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10. (S) Crown Prince Sultan, who is also the Saudi Minister
of Defense and Aviation, signed two defense
cooperation agreements with France during his July 20 visit
to Paris. Media reports have suggested that these agreements
could lead to Saudi contracts for the purchase of French
tanker aircraft, helicopters, and other equipment. However,
Embassy contacts report that, while there may well be some
eventual purchases of French technology, no new deals were
finalized during the Crown Prince's visit, and Saudi purchase
of French military hardware remains uncertain. A July 24
article in Paris La Tribune notes "the disappointment felt by
certain industrialists who were expecting a great deal more
from the visit." One of the agreements signed was reportedly
a technical addendum to a 1982 KSA-France defense cooperation
agreement (Ref D).
OBERWETTER