RIYADH RECORD: OCTOBER 16-31 (C-NE6-01865)

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 RIYADH 008723

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NEA FOR GORDON GRAY AND ALAN MISENHEIMER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/06/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KISL KWMN SA
SUBJECT: RIYADH RECORD: OCTOBER 16-31 (C-NE6-01865)

REF: A. A) RIYADH 8414

B. B) RIYADH 6472

C. C) RIYADH 6730

Classified By: Political Counselor David Rundell
for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Iraqi religious leaders signed the Makkah
Declaration on October 20, which forbids Sunnis and Shi'a
from killing each other. King Abdullah issued a new
succession law on October 20, which formalizes the succession
process through the establishment of the Allegiance
Committee. Public discussion about this new law is generally
positive, and the Shoura Council praised the King's efforts
in its most recent meeting. A 160-signatory petition
supported the Ministry of Culture and Information in the wake
of a recent online campaign by Islamic conservatives calling
for the dismissal of the Minister of Information and several
other ministry officials. The debate about the
court-enforced annulment of a happily married couple due to
"tribal incompatibility" has resurfaced, and there is
speculation that the Ministry of Justice will review the
decision. END SUMMARY.

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Makkah Declaration Aims to Prevent Sectarian Violence
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2. (C) Iraqi Sunni and Shi'a religious leaders signed on
October 20 the "Makkah Declaration," which forbids Sunnis and
Shi'a to kill each other. In addition to calling for a
"complete end" to sectarian killing, the Declaration also
condemns "takfiri" thought and provides that houses of
worship are "sacrosanct" -- to include mosques and non-Muslim
places of worship. Many regional players took part in the
conference, and Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC)
Secretary General Akmaluddin Ihsanoglu indicated that a

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committee would be set up to support the implementation of
the Declaration. (COMMENT: Although the Saudi public and
press generally welcomed the Makkah Declaration as a step in
the right direction and commended the SAG for its leadership
in bringing Iraq's religious leaders to the table, a distinct
undercurrent of caution remains evident. Additionally, the
low profile of the Shi'a representatives, including their
relative importance in the Iraqi religious community, has
resulted in some criticism that the Shi'a have not taken this
effort as seriously as the Sunnis. END COMMENT.) (Ref A).

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New Succession Law Formalizes Selection Process, Shoura
Council and Opposition Group Comment
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3. (S) King Abdullah issued a new succession law on Friday
October 20 that created a mechanism called the Allegiance
Committee to formalize the transfer of power in Saudi Arabia.
This Committee is composed exclusively of male heirs of King
Abdul Aziz bin Al Saud, and through secret ballot voting, it
has the power to approve the king's choice for a crown prince
or reject his proposal and come up with its own. It can also
declare a sitting monarch incapable of performing his duties
for medical reasons. The new law becomes effective when
Crown Prince Sultan becomes King; however, it is a major step
in King Abdullah's push for reform because it distributes a
key power of the king-- selecting future leadership -- to an
entire group of princes. The new law may also be an
indication of the increasing ineffectiveness of the informal,
secretive Saudi Family Council previously responsible for

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advising the king on matters of succession, as well as
increasing competition among the branches of royal family.


4. (S) The London-based opposition group Movement for
Islamic Reform in Arabia (MIRA) issued a statement on its
website on October 21 regarding the new succession law
announced by King Abdullah on October 20. The statement
reported that one of King Abdullah's sons leaked information
to MIRA about the circumstances under which this law was
established. The statement contended that: (1) King Abdullah
created the succession law without collaborating with some of
his senior brothers; (2) the main objective of the law is to
exclude Minister of Interior Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz, who
is seen by many as generally uncooperative with the King and
critical of some of the U.S. policies; (3) King Abdullah
expects Crown Prince Sultan to die before him, therefore this
law allows King Abdullah to appoint one of his sons as Crown
Prince; and (4) King Abdullah seeks to refute the continuous
claims about internal royal family disputes. Additionally,
MIRA leader Saad al-Faqih gave a 60-minute public address on

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October 30 that included a reiteration of the above
statement. (NOTE: MIRA's last public statements were made in
August when it called for Kingdom-wide protests against the
SAG. These protests were reportedly unsuccessful, but it was
the first time that MIRA publicly appeared since its UN
designations as a supporter of terrorism. (Ref B). END
NOTE.)


5. (U) Shoura Council Chairman and Grand Mufti of the Grand
Mosque in Makkah Dr. Salih bin Abdullah bin Humaid gave an
interview on the new succession law on October 23 to the
mainstream Arabic-language Saudi newspaper "Okaz." He
highlighted the significant role that this law plays in the
ongoing push for reform instituted by King Abdullah, and
stated that its consistency with Islamic law ensures its
solid foundation in the Kingdom's future. He stated, "The
system, with its coherent articles that are based on the
Qu'ran and His Prophet's Sunna (deeds and sayings),gives
more stability to the rule and smoothes the authority
exchange, which will lead to completing the constitutional
project." He further stated, "Therefore, it aims at serving
the interests of the people and establishing the national
unity and the constants of rule." (COMMENT: Homaid's
statements lay the foundation for consensus between religious
leaders and the royal family on this issue. However, the
extremist website "Sahat" posted on October 29 some
statements criticizing the new law for excluding religious
scholars in the selection of the monarchy. END COMMENT.)

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Shoura Council Congratulates King, Apologizes for
Non-Participation in Doha Meeting
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6. (U) The Shoura Council held an extraordinary session on
October 29 following the Eid al-Fitr holiday. During the
meeting, the Council congratulated the King on the Eid
holiday and for the efforts made by the SAG to ease travel
for Umrah pilgrims and other travelers to Makkah and Medina
during Ramadan and Eid. The Council also congratulated the
King on the issuance of the new succession law and the
establishment of the Allegiance Committee, stating that "the
Allegiance Committee system is a step further in the process
of political reforms initiated by King Abdullah and his Crown
Prince." Mainstream media also reported that the Shoura
Council apologized for not accepting the invitation to the
United Nations-sponsored Democracies and Wise Leadership
Conference scheduled for October 29. There was no indication
as to the reason.

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Conflict Between Ministry of Culture and Information and
Islamic Conservatives
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7. (C) During the Eid holiday, the Ministry of Culture and
Information received a petition signed by 160 reform-minded
male and female scholars supporting Minister of Information
Iyad bin Amin Madany. The petition was also posted on a
liberal Saudi-based website "Al-Hurreyah." The petition
followed a recent Internet campaign by Islamic conservatives
criticizing many of the Ministry's programs as being
"un-Islamic" and demanding the dismissal of the Minister and
several other ministry officials. A campaign supporter
publicly stated that the Ministry tends to "exclude Islamic
thoughts" from its liberal and secular programming. The
petition harshly criticized this Internet campaign against
the Ministry, calling it "intellectual terrorism." The
petition supported the Minister and highlighted the successes
achieved during his tenure, specifically noting increased
openness in the media and cultural awareness in the society.
The statement also commended the Minister for his efforts to
align Saudi Arabia's cultural norms with those in the "free
world." While commenting that there is a need for public
criticism, the statement's authors accused the Islamic
conservatives of criticizing the Government as a means to
preserve their radical ideologies and not to serve the
national interest or common good. They also advocated for
the prosecution of those behind the campaign, claiming that
it aimed to hinder the development of Saudi Arabia and
falsely exploit religion. (COMMENT: That the petition was
posted online and the source of much debate in the mainstream
media is an example of the progress in expanding media
accessibility and openness that the Ministry of Information
has made recently under the guidance of King Abdullah's push
for reform. Although Islamic conservatives who represent a
majority of Saudi society will most likely continue to oppose
many of the Ministry's programs, the public support for the

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Ministry demonstrates the positive difference that its
programs are making generally in Saudi society. END
COMMENT.) (septel).

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Tribal Allegiance in Divorce Case Resurfaces
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8. (C) A Saudi couple in Al-Jouf, a city in the northern
part of the Kingdom, had their marriage forcibly annulled in
mid-August on the grounds that it violated social customs.
The Shari'a court ruled in favor of the half-brother, who
petitioned the court for the annulment because he claimed
that his sister was from a noble tribe and should not be
married to a non-tribal man (Ref C). Despite robust public
debate from religious conservatives and reform-minded
scholars following the ruling, the decision has remained
final. The case resurfaced on October 28 on the extremist
website "Sahat" after a lawyer in the case claimed that the
Minister of Justice is reconsidering the case based upon
legal inconsistencies that occurred during the proceedings.
The newspaper "Okaz" published an editorial on the case the
same week, arguing that this ruling violated basic Islamic
principles and should be revisited. (COMMENT: The resurgence
of debate on this case reveals the continued strong influence
of tribal norms and customs in Saudi society. END COMMENT.)

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VIP VISITS
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9. (U) Throughout this period, King Abdullah received
numerous visits, phone calls, cables, and letters
congratulating him on the celebration of the Eid al-Fitr
holiday. King Abdullah was briefed by Palestinian Authority
President Abbas via telephone on October 23 about the latest
developments in the Palestinian territories. King Abdullah
discussed bilateral relations and regional issues with French
President Chirac via telephone on October 23. Saudi Minister
of Interior Prince Naif and General Intelligence Presidency
Prince Muqrin met with the Secretary General of the
Commission of the Iraqi Muslim Scholars Sheikh Harith
al-Dhari on October 23 to discuss recent developments in Iraq
and reiterated Saudi Arabia's commitment to enhance security
and stability in Iraq.
OBERWETTER