RIYADH RECORD: AUGUST 5-11, 2006

S E C R E T RIYADH 006737 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/23/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR SA SUBJECT: RIYADH RECORD: AUGUST 5-11, 2006 REF: A. A) RIYADH 6668 ¶B. B) RIYADH 6372 ¶C. C) RIYADH 6472 ¶D. D) JEDDAH 531 ¶E. E) RIYADH 6473 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Michael Gfoeller for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: One hundred seventy Muslim scholars, including 29 Saudis, called for unity in the Islamic Nation and condemned the Israeli 'aggression' in Lebanon and Palestine. Saudi opposition activity continues to stir in the Diaspora with a revitalization of the London-based Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia (MIRA),and the announcement of the formation of the Saudi Democratic Opposition Front in Paris. MIRA, a religious-based opposition group linked to al-Qaeda, is piggy-backing on the current Lebanon crisis and dissent amongst the Shi'a to engage the Saudi public through religious means. The secular and tribal-based Saudi Democratic Opposition Front, linked to the former al-Rasheed dynasty of al-Ha'il in northern Saudi Arabia, opposes the SAG on principles of "democracy and justice." Female employment remains a hot topic, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs announcing plans to employ more women. King Abdullah visited Turkey for three days and signed six bilateral agreements, related to the economic and investment sectors. END SUMMARY. -------------- -------------- Lebanon Crisis Sparks Call for Peace Among Muslim Scholars Worldwide -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) One hundred seventy Muslim scholars from 17 countries, including 29 Saudi citizens, issued an open letter entitled "Statement and Appeal from Scholars of the Islamic Nation," which was posted on a Saudi conservative website. The statement condemned the Israeli 'aggression' in Lebanon and Palestine and criticized the U.S. for supporting Israel. The signatories appealed to the Muslim and Arab people worldwide, leaders of Islamic nations, the international community, and "people of the free world" to boycott Israel both politically and economically and to follow paths of patience, peace, and unity to seek justice for Israel's actions in Lebanon and Palestine. The statement follows several open statements and editorials that harshly criticized the U.S.' reaction to the Lebanon crisis and reflects the increasing discontent of the Saudi public with the U.S. At the same time, it stands out as a call for peace and condemnation of all extremism, unlike most open statements by religious conservatives from the Kingdom. Although the authors only used peaceful rhetoric in their call, they also implicitly attacked the peace process, stating that a peaceful resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict is a mere illusion that has brought only harm to the region (Ref A). -------------- Saudi Opposition Fomenting in the Diaspora -------------- ¶3. (C) The London-based, Saudi opposition group linked to al-Qaeda, the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia ('MIRA'), called for political gatherings to be held Kingdom-wide at 44 specified mosques beginning August 11. According to statements on its website, MIRA, which is led by Dr. Saad al-Faqih, is composed of religious conservatives who oppose the SAG's policies and seek a dramatic change of governance in the Kingdom. It attempted a similar protest three years ago. MIRA planned to avoid government interference by calling for the gatherings to begin prior to, not after, the Friday mosque sermons. It called for the August 11 gatherings to be the first of many; however, the turnout was very low. COMMENT: This call is consistent with recent widespread public criticism of the Government in the wake of the Lebanon crisis. Since MIRA was able to relaunch its media campaign after its outlets had been shut down by the British government, the call for demonstrations displays al-Faqih's staying power as an opponent of the SAG (Ref B). END COMMENT. ¶4. (S) On August 7, several media outlets reported a statement issued by Prince Talal al-Rasheed, a deposed royal and Saudi dissident residing in Paris, which announced the formation of the Saudi Democratic Opposition Front. The group, which is reportedly both secular and tribal in nature, bases its opposition to the SAG on its desire for democracy and an enhancement of liberties within Saudi society. Its declared main objective is to establish democratic institutions based upon equality and justice and stop the "corruption" of the Al Saud family. Al-Rasheed is the son of the last ruler of the Emirate of Ha'il prior to the Al Saud rule and has lived in exile since 1980 because of his opposition activities. He claimed that the group has 2,000 active members in Saudi Arabia and said he planned to coordinate its activities with the London-based opposition group MIRA, despite MIRA's radical religious ideology. COMMENT: Al-Rasheed lacks visibility and credibility on the Saudi political scene, but his movement's emergence is a sign of growing opposition activity in the wake of the Lebanon crisis (Ref C and septel) END COMMENT. -------------- Democratic Reform Continues -------------- ¶5. (C) Female employment remains a hot topic in the Kingdom. Moves to boost employment opportunities for female engineers continue within the SAG (Ref C). Responding to a ministry survey that reported a large number of female engineers working in administrative jobs irrelevant to their training, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs announced a plan to hire more female engineers. The Ministry's spokesman said the women's role for the present will be limited to consultations and "technical aspects." As their role develops within the engineering sector, their functions may expand to inspections and monitoring key ministry facilities. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative told A/PolCouns during a meeting on August 16 that the MFA leadership had recently decided to establish a women's section within the Ministry. Additionally, Labor Minister al-Qusaibi recently commented that the Ministry's "next big labor battle" is to increase the number of jobs for Saudi women. He also cautioned, "It's a battle that Saudi Arabia needs to do its own way at its own pace." Speaking on the labor law issue on employment of women in lingerie shops, Minister al-Qusaibi said that King Abdullah supports his efforts and agreed that the plan should proceed incrementally with no deadline. He said that the plan is going smoothly and three or four lingerie shops now employ women only (Ref D, E). -------------- VIP Visits -------------- ¶6. (C) King Abdullah made his first Saudi Head of State visit to Turkey on August 8-11, signing economic bilateral agreements and joining the Turks in public statements warning of nuclear threats to the region that were perceived to be anti-Iranian in nature. The King's visit to Turkey was his fifth official trip to a significant, non-Western country since becoming King in August 2005, following China, India, Malaysia, and Pakistan. There was a strong economic focus to the visit, highlighted by the signing of six bilateral agreements, including an avoidance of double taxation, treaty (septel). OBERWETTER