UPDATED DEMOCRACY STRATEGY FOR SAUDI ARABIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L RIYADH 002085

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT PLEASE PASS TO NEA/ARP FOR RJACHIM/SRAMESH AND NEA/PPD
FOR WDOUGLAS.

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/09/2017
TAGS: KMPI AMGT KDEM ECON KPAO PREL PGOV SA
SUBJECT: UPDATED DEMOCRACY STRATEGY FOR SAUDI ARABIA

REF: A. SECSTATE 130991

B. 2005 RIYADH 3188

Classified By: Ambassador Ford Fraker for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Per Ref A request, this constitutes Post's updated
strategy for supporting reform in Saudi Arabia. To bolster
and advance reform in Saudi Arabia, we need to assist the
Majlis Al-Shoura and municipal councils in efforts to expand
their role to include oversight, increase independence, and
build operational capacity. We should support the expansion
of political participation, including for women, as well as
continued economic reform, including improved labor
conditions. We must also work to increase religious
tolerance in the Kingdom. Judicial reform is a priority for
the SAG, and we should continue our efforts to engage members
of the judiciary in discussions with their U.S. counterparts,
as well as support efforts to increase judicial independence
and transparency. For maximum effectiveness, we must work
cooperatively with the SAG and broaden our range of
interlocutors, using both policy and programmatic tools. We
should also recognize that programs targeting religious
educators and youth are key elements of political reform in
the Saudi context.


2. (C) The desired outcomes of this strategic focus are to:

-- expose Shoura and local council members (including women
when possible) to U.S. legislative bodies at the local,
state, and national levels;

-- obtain Saudi political commitment to include women in the
planned 2009 elections, as well as all future elections;

-- develop opportunities for members of the judiciary and
Saudi legal education community to interact with their U.S.
counterparts at the local, state, and national levels;

-- obtain SAG compliance with all WTO accession commitments;
and

-- prepare the Saudi Capital Market Authority for membership
in the International Organization of Securities Commissions.


3. (C) Post's proposed policy approach is to continue to use
the U.S. - Saudi Arabia Strategic Dialogue and the associated
working groups as the key mechanism with which to engage the
Saudi leadership on reform. In parallel, we should look for
ways to broaden the dialogue on reform among Saudis across
the political, social, and economic spectrum.


4. (C) Suggested programming would aim to:

-- expand IV-style programs for new municipal council members
and Shoura Council members to meet U.S. counterparts;

-- expand IV-style programs for members of the judiciary and
legal education community to meet U.S. counterparts;

-- expand dialogue and use other countries to work with us to
draw out Saudis, especially women and religious leaders, to
international fora on reform;

--further develop relations with religious educators and
their institutions through speaker programs and other
exchange mechanisms;

--increase engagement with Saudi youth through ACCESS English
scholarships, the YES high-school exchange program, and an IV
program for Saudi Boy Scout leaders; and

-- develop respect for the rule of law, transparent,
inclusive regulatory practices, and better appreciation and
enforcement of intellectual property rights through both
capacity building and technical competence training for
regulators, law enforcement officers, and adjudicatory
authorities.
FRAKER