DAS CARPENTER AND DAS BARKS-RUGGLES DISCUSS

C O N F I D E N T I A L RIYADH 000329

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DRL FOR DAS BARK-RUGGLES, NEA/ARP FOR DAS CARPENTER AND
BRIAN SHUKAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/18/2017
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL KISL
SUBJECT: DAS CARPENTER AND DAS BARKS-RUGGLES DISCUSS
EXCHANGE PROGRAM WITH SAUDI LAW SCHOOL

REF: 06 RIYADH 7629

Classified By: Acting Deputy Chief of Mission David Rundell
for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (U) SUMMARY: Near Eastern Affairs (NEA) Deputy
Assistant Secretary (DAS) Scott Carpenter, Democracy, Human
Rights, and Labor (DRL) DAS Erica Barks-Ruggles, and
Department of Commerce Legal Advisor James Filpi met with the
Chair and Deputy Chair of the Law and Administrative Science
Department at King Saud University (KSU) and Dr. Fahad I.
Al-Dhwayan, Assistant Professor in the same department on
December 5. The discussion focused on beginning
student-faculty exchanges between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia
in the legal field to promote the study of secular,
comparative, and Islamic jurisprudence in both countries.
Dr. Al-Omeir was enthusiastic about the prospects, while
realistic -- based on his own experience in setting up the
KSU department -- about the hostility some conservative
students and faculty would have towards such a program. KSU
in conjunction with the Ministry of Higher Education is
introducing commercial law and study of European and American
legal codes, including providing full scholarships to a
select number of highly qualified law students to study
abroad on a Distinguished Scholar Study Program (DSSP). Drs.
Al-Omeir and al-Dhwayan expressed an interest in advancing
the DSSP law program to the U.S., facilitating faculty and
student exchange programs and hosting comparative law
symposia in the future. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) NEA DAS Carpenter, DRL DAS Barks-Ruggles, and
Department of Commerce Legal Advisor Filpi met with Dr.
Al-Omeir and Dr. al-Dhwayan of the Law and Administrative
Science Department at King Saud University (KSU) on December

5. Both parties highlighted the need for student-faculty
exchanges between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia in law schools
during the meeting. The U.S. participants raised the
possibility of opportunities in (a) starting exchange
programs for both faculty and students of law schools, (b)
introducing international commercial law into the Saudi legal
education programs through mimicking similar programs in
other Gulf countries, (c) promoting greater understanding
through comparative law symposia both in the KSA and the
U.S., and (d) expanding the current legal studies programs on
Human Rights and Treaty law at KSU.


3. (C) Dr. Al-Omeir responded positively to the notion of
exchange programs and welcomed the proposal to bring American
law students and faculty into the Kingdom. Both implied,
however, that Islamic jurisprudence might not easily be used
in secular, or traditionally Western/International law. They
also suggested it could prove challenging to introduce
secular, or traditionally Western/International legal
constructs into Shari'a jurisprudence.


4. (C) Dr. Al-Omeir informed the U.S. delegation that the
Saudi government would like to expand the DSSP-- which is
currently sending Saudi legal students to France, the United
Kingdom, and Ireland-- to send up to 50 students to the U.S.
to study civil, commercial, and human rights law. He said
that KSU faculty are encouraging Shari'a students, who also
tend to be the more religiously conservative students, to
participate in such programs with the intention of broadening
their minds. Dr. al-Dhwayan commented that they want to push
their students to engage in secular legal studies, as well as
Shari'a studies, because the conservative elements in the
university pose problems for the KSU law program. Dr.
Al-Omeir stated that the religious conservative professors at
KSU disapproved of even establishing a law department at KSU
-- that is why it is named the Law and Administrative
Sciences Department, not simply the Law Department.


5. (U) The meeting ended positively with both parties
agreeing to discuss the programmatic possibilities further.
They agreed that next steps include linking the Saudi
Embassy, U.S. law schools, the Saudi Ministry of Higher
Education, and ECA into this endeavor. The Chair also
welcomed the future potential visit of DAS Barks-Ruggles with
a U.S. federal judge and law school professors to finalize
details of a legal education exchange program.


6. (C) COMMENT: This meeting paved the way for the
development of legal education exchange programs between the
U.S. and Saudi Arabia and follows on similar discussions held
by DAS Barks-Ruggles with women and SAG bodies during her
October visit (reftel). While acknowledging the
sensitivities of teaching Islamic jurisprudence and secular
legal studies to Saudi law students, the KSU Chair seemed

open to engaging in constructive and creative methods for
expanding their current programming. END COMMENT.
OBERWETTER