AMBASSADOR INVITED TO OPEC SUMMIT-RELATED EVENTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L RIYADH 002174 SIPDIS SIPDIS EB/ESC FOR SGALLOGLY, GGRIFFIN, AND MMCMANUS DEPT OF ENERGY PASS TO A/S KHARBERT, DAS AHEGBURG, MWILLIAMSON, GPERSON, AND JHART E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2017 TAGS: EPET ECON PREL SA SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR INVITED TO OPEC SUMMIT-RELATED EVENTS REF: A. SECSTATE 150113 ¶B. 10/22/07 GGRIFFIN-SROSS E-MAIL ¶C. RIYADH 2056 ¶D. RIYADH 1519 Classified By: DCM Michael Gfoeller for reasons 1.4 (b) (c) and (d). (U) 1. This is an action request. NEA/ARP, EB/ESC, and DOE/International Policy, please see paragraph four. -------------- --- Background to the OPEC Summit and Related Events -------------- --- ¶2. (SBU) The November 17-18 Summit in Riyadh is the third OPEC Summit; the first was in 1975 in Algeria, and the second in 2000 in Venezuela. An OPEC Summit is a rare event, and this the first to be held in Saudi Arabia. The Summit will be a key event for the SAG to highlight its leadership role within OPEC. ¶3. (U) On the margins of the Summit, the Ministry of Petroleum (MinPet) has scheduled an Industry Exhibit from November 14-16, and a Symposium from November 15-16. MinPet has informed us that these two events will have wider participation and not be tied specifically to OPEC membership. We anticipate heads of state from OPEC member nations will attend the OPEC Summit, and may choose to participate in some of the related activities. We expect U.S. firms to be represented at the industry exhibit, and to be prominently featured in the symposium presentations. -------------- -------------- Action Request: Ambassador Invited to Participate -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) Subsequent to Mission's request for guidance on attendance at the OPEC Summit-related events at the working level, Ambassador Fraker received a personal phone call from HRH Deputy Petroleum Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud to request his attendance at the OPEC Summit-related events. In a follow-on meeting, Prince Abdulaziz clarified he hoped Ambassador Fraker would attend two dinner events, one two days prior to opening of the Summit, and another dinner for the Summit opening, to be attended by senior members of the Riyadh diplomatic corps. Prince Abdulaziz also expects oil ministers from OPEC member nations to attend the dinner events, but does not anticipate heads of state, such as Iranian President Ahmedinejad, Libyan President Khadafi, or Venezuelan President Chavez, to attend. Mission requests specific guidance on Ambassador Fraker's participation in these dinners and other OPEC Summit-related events, such as the industry exhibition (which will feature exhibits by U.S. firms),and attendance at the symposium. ¶5. (C) Prince Abdulaziz has also cautioned us that he expects some of the more vocal members of OPEC may use the Summit as an opportunity to highlight recent anti-OPEC legislation and lawsuits in the U.S. (ref D) FRAKER