KING ABDULLAH AND FOREIGN MINISTER PRESS COMMENTS

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 006940

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/02/2026
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PINR KISL SA
SUBJECT: KING ABDULLAH AND FOREIGN MINISTER PRESS COMMENTS
-- IMAGE BUILDING?

REF: A. A) RIYADH 06574

B. B) RIYADH 06520

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


1. (S) SUMMARY. Recent statements to the press by Custodian
of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Foreign Minister
Prince Saud Al-Faisal appear to be a concerted effort by the
SAG to address strong public criticism of its position on the
Lebanon crisis and ties to the U.S., as well as accusations
that the SAG has aligned with the U.S. at the expense of its
Arab identity. An August 26 Asharq Al-Awsat interview with
King Abdullah and complementary statements by Al-Faisal at a
subsequent press conference the same day emphasized Arab
unity, the SAG's leadership in forging peace in the Middle
East, and the need to revitalize the Arab League as a
proactive body. There was little public reaction to the
King's and Al-Faisal's statements, which were followed by the
King's announcement at the weekly meeting of the Council of
Ministers that the KSA would take a leading role in seeking
solutions to recent crises in the region and protecting it
from "ambitious parties." END SUMMARY.


2. (U) In a rare news interview on August 26 with the
Saudi-owned Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat, Custodian of the
Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah conveyed his disappointment
regarding what he described as the "faltering" Middle East
peace process, while emphasizing the SAG's support for the
people of Lebanon. Although, as is usually the case, no
transcript of the interview in its entirety was made
available, the press published selected statements that
covered a range of topics, including foreign investment,
education, and the price of oil. The interview, however,
appeared to focus primarily on regional issues, including the
crises in Iraq and Lebanon, as well as the SAG's foreign
policy.


3. (U) According to Asharq Al-Awsat, King Abdullah is seeking
a "new, but concrete and applicable, plan for peace in the
Middle East." It reported that the King pointed to a lack of
understanding by the "big powers" of the problems faced by
Arab and Islamic countries and decried the absence of a
"regional and international vision for protecting the
region's security." Asharq Al-Awsat also reported that King
Abdullah denied that recent trips to China, India, Pakistan,
and Turkey were to "send messages to some countries against
others." The trips did not reflect a shift in foreign
policy, said the King, but rather served the interests of
Saudi Arabia.

4.(C) Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal further
clarified the SAG's position in a press conference the same
day, noting that it has become unclear to people in the
region what their interests are after what he described as
the failure of their governments to adequately deal with the
region's challenges. He cautioned some governments against
forging relationships at the expense of "inter-Arab
relationships," and emphasized that Arab leaders must work
together to "regain the confidence of our people." (NOTE:
Some local Saudi contacts suggested that these particular
comments were a less-than-subtle rebuke to Syria for its
relationship with Iran. END NOTE.) He called upon all Arab
countries to rise up to the expectations of their people - a
clear reflection of King Abdullah's statement in the Asharq
Al-Awsat interview that "we draw our strength from our
people." Al-Faisal also noted that Saudi Arabia is striving
to build strong Arab relationships based on the principles of
joint efforts and supported the Arab League -- although he
was clear that this body needs to reassess its basic role and
determine how to be most effective in the current
environment.


5. (U) Despite the storm of criticism generated within the
Saudi public by the Lebanon crisis, there was little public
reaction to the statements made by King Abdullah and
Al-Faisal. Palestinian political analyst Azman Tamimi
criticized the focus on Arab identity in a commentary on
Al-Jazeerah, claiming that Saudi Arabia's affiliation with a
Muslim country such as Iran would not precipitate the loss of
Arab identity, whereas an alliance with the U.S. would do so.
However, an editorial in the August 29 edition of the Arab
News strongly supported Al-Faisal's suggestion to revamp the
Arab League. King Abdullah "closed the loop" at the weekly
meeting of the Council of Ministers by announcing that the
KSA would leverage its "significant role in the Arab and

RIYADH 00006940 002 OF 002


Islamic world" to seek solutions to the region's problems,
and protect it from "ambitious parties."

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COMMENT
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6. (S) The Government often provides "nuggets" of information
to the press to gauge and help manage public reaction to key
issues. King Abdullah's interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, the
Foreign Minister's complementary comments to the press, and
the King's subsequent announcement to the Council of
Ministers all appear to be a well-coordinated, concerted
effort on the part of the SAG to stem the tide of negative
public reaction to its position regarding Lebanon and its
ties to the U.S.(reftels). Interestingly, Al-Faisal's
message regarding Arab unity is very similar to the August 4
statement issued by 170 Muslim scholars regarding the need
for Muslims to stand "shoulder to shoulder" with all
peace-loving people (Ref B). The SAG's efforts to portray
itself as the "center of Arabism" and the "window that can
communicate with the world" seem to directly address recent
criticism that the ruling family has aligned itself with the
U.S. at the expense of its Muslim identity. The SAG, always
sensitive to public criticism, is clearly taking steps to
portray itself as a regional leader with unassailable loyalty
to the Arab nation. END COMMENT.


GFOELLER