Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07RIYADH651
2007-04-01 08:55:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Riyadh
Cable title:  

AMBASSADOR'S FAREWELL CALL ON RIYADH PROVINCIAL

Tags:  PHUM PGOV KDEM KISL SA 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO1040
RR RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHROV
DE RUEHRH #0651/01 0910855
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 010855Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY RIYADH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4906
INFO RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE
RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH 8547
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 000651 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

LONDON FOR TSOU, PARIS FOR ZEYA
DEPT FOR NEA/ARP (WALKER, SHUKAN, JACHIM),INL, DRL, PRM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2027
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KDEM KISL SA
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S FAREWELL CALL ON RIYADH PROVINCIAL
GOVERNOR PRINCE SALMAN

Classified By: Ambassador James C. Oberwetter for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

------
SUMMARY
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 000651

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

LONDON FOR TSOU, PARIS FOR ZEYA
DEPT FOR NEA/ARP (WALKER, SHUKAN, JACHIM),INL, DRL, PRM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2027
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KDEM KISL SA
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S FAREWELL CALL ON RIYADH PROVINCIAL
GOVERNOR PRINCE SALMAN

Classified By: Ambassador James C. Oberwetter for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) Ambassador made a farewell call on Riyadh Provincial
Governor HRH Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz on March 25. The
Prince emphasized personal ties to the U.S, as well as the
strong bilateral relationship in the context of the SAG's
reform agenda and efforts to resolve the Palestinian
conflict. The Prince emphasized the importance for the U.S.
to leave Iraq with dignity, worried about Iranian influence
in the region, and discussed the causes and effect of
terrorism. He also asked for improvements in the U.S. visa
system. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) Ambassador made a farewell call on Riyadh Provincial
Governor HRH Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz on March 25. Pince
Salman was accompanied by his private secretary, Ra'fat
al-Sabbagh, who interpreted during the meeting. The Prince
emphasized the importance of his personal ties with
Ambassador, discussing the important role that former U.S.
ambassadors to the KSA play in explaining Saudi Arabia to
Americans. He said it is important that these ambassadors
maintain their ties with the Kingdom, adding that the U.S.
and Saudi Arabia have many common interests.


3. (C) Prince Salman said the U.S. and the KSA have had and
continue to have three common strategies for the Middle East:
saving Afghanistan from Communism, protecting Pakistan, and
denying Russia access to the Arabian Gulf. He emphasized
that Pakistan is an important friend of the KSA. He noted
that even though Russia was the first country to recognize
the KSA and that it never tried to export Communism or
revolution to the KSA, the U.S. and the KSA have agreed on
the importance of keeping Communism out of the Middle East
and stopping Russia from realizing its dream of warm water
port(s) on the Arabian Gulf.


4. (C) Prince Salman said the pace and extent of reforms
depend on social and cultural factors. He claimed that for

social reasons -- not religions reasons -- reforms cannot be
imposed by the SAG or there will be negative reactions.
Instead, he said, changes have to be introduced in a
sensitive and timely manner. He pointed out that the U.S.
did not address racism against blacks and religious
discrimination against Jews until the mid-1960s because of
social and political circumstances, saying these constraints
also apply to Saudi Arabia. He emphasized that the rights of
women are better under Islam, but that social and cultural
circumstances prevented women from being educated until
relatively recently. He claimed that Islam had democracy
before other cultures because the Qur'an states that rulers
must consult others before making decisions. He stressed
that this consultation process is democracy in action. He
pointed out that democracy should not be imposed, citing the
U.S. Civil War as a relevant analogy. He said that the KSA
is composed of tribes and regions and if democracy were
imposed, each tribe and region would have its political party.


5. (C) Prince Salman said that he hopes for an end to the
Palestinian conflict and that the March 24 meeting in Aswan
would succeed. He said also that he hopes the U.S. and
Israel understand the necessity of resolving this problem,
stressing that Israel has a chance to do so. He added that
it is in the interest of the U.S. and Israel to solve this
problem in accordance with United Nations Security Council
resolutions, emphasizing that King Abdullah's peace proposal
contains "all guarantees." He said that if the U.S. wants
stability in the region, it must solve the Palestinian
conflict. Ostensibly alluding to Israel, he said it is
impossible to want everything but give nothing. He noted
that the U.S. supports Israel, but argued that the Europeans
are increasingly distancing themselves from it. He said that
Israel is a burden on the U.S., but that the KSA is not a
burden on anyone.


6. (C) Stressing that the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is the
core problem in the Middle East, the Prince said that but for
this conflict, the region would have better ties with the
West. He pointed out that since 1948, various countries --
namely Syria, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, and Egypt -- have used the
pretext of liberating the Palestinian territories as
justification for military coups, military interventions,
imposition of socialism and other economic policies,

RIYADH 00000651 002 OF 002


promotion of Arab nationalism, and restriction of civil
society and civil liberties, including freedom of speech and
elections. He noted that Egypt's Nasser imported weapons
from the Eastern Bloc and intervened in Yemen using the
pretext of liberating the Palestinian territories. He
pointed out that Saddam Hussein used the pretext of
liberating the Palestinian territories to invade Kuwait. He
said that today, Iran is using the pretext of liberating the
Palestinian territories to build nuclear weapons. He said
that Hizbollah's Nasrallah uses the pretext of liberating the
Palestinian territories for his actions, but stated that he
lies. He said that if there had been no Palestinian
conflict, the Middle East would be more economically,
culturally, and politically advanced today. He pointed out
that military regimes had undermined the strong economies of
Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and Sudan.


7. (C) Prince Salman said that he hopes for an end to the
Iraqi crisis. He emphasized that the U.S. should not leave
Iraq defeated, but with pride. He said he thinks it is good
for the U.S. Congress to say that U.S. troops should be
withdrawn from Iraq by 2008, so long as the U.S. maintains
its dignity. He also noted that it is the U.S. Congress'
duty to authorize funding for Iraq, pointing out that Iraq is
unlike other states in that it is multiethnic and
multisectarian. He stressed that historically, Iraq has been
ruled with force.


8. (C) Prince Salman said the KSA had excellent relations
with Iran when the Shah was in power. He also pointed out
that Iran was more developed and had a stronger economy
before the 1979 revolution. He claimed that the KSA has
never had problems with its neighbors, even Iran, like the
problems the U.S. has had with its Latin American neighbors.
However, he pointed out that since the 1979 revolution, Iran
has created new problems and divisions by trying to export
its ideology. He claimed that the KSA does not have problems
with other creeds or sects.


9. (C) Prince Salman said that terrorism and fanaticism have
done more harm to Islam than anything else. He claimed that
the KSA suffered from terrorism before 9/11. He emphasized
that there are fanatics in all religions. He said that
extremism feeds extremism and that Jewish and Christian
extremism has fed Islamic extremism. He stressed that the
Qur'an recognizes all prophets and religions and that a
Muslim must believe in Jesus and Moses or he cannot be a
complete Muslim. (COMMENT: Prince Salman implied that
Christians and Jews do not show the same respect for the
Prophet Mohammad and Islam. END COMMENT).


10. (C) Prince Salman asked if the U.S. Embassy could
institute special procedures for "well-known" individuals who
need visas to travel to the U.S., saying that his wife had
difficulty getting a visa to see her doctor in the U.S., so
the doctor had traveled to Spain to see her. He also said
that his son, Prince Mohammed, refused to go to the U.S.
Embassy to be fingerprinted "like some criminal," even though
his other son, Prince Faisal, and his daughter, Hessa, voiced
no objections to doing so. He warned that Saudis are
traveling to countries other than the U.S., notably Germany,
for medical treatment because of problems and delays in
obtaining U.S. visas.
GFOELLER