ARAMCO: KNOWLEDGE AND CULTURE CENTER PROGRESSES DESPITE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAHRAN 000265 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/ARP JOSHUA HARRIS AND JEREMY BERNDT E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2019 TAGS: EPET SA SCUL ENRG PGOV SUBJECT: ARAMCO: KNOWLEDGE AND CULTURE CENTER PROGRESSES DESPITE CONSERVATIVE OPPOSITION DHAHRAN 00000265 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: Joseph Kenny, Dhahran Consul General, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (U) Development of the King Abdulaziz Center for Knowledge and Culture (KACKC) continues. The Center aims to honor Arab heritage, connect Saudis to their culture, and bring world cultures to the Kingdom, all in the service of social progress and intellectual achievement. Nabih A. Al-Ibrahim (protect), the lead Saudi Aramco engineer for the project highlighted some internal challenges posed by conservative elements within Aramco who are opposed to the project. The discussion underscored Aramco's role for project design, construction, and cost efficiency. The KACKC project, said Nabih, is the "King's bridge to the future." END SUMMARY. Not all Favor "Culture" in the Kingdom -------------- ¶2. (C). The King Abdulaziz Center for Knowledge and Culture (KACKC) is a forward thinking initiative by King Abdullah designed to promote social progress and intellectual achievement. PolOffs and PDOff met with Nabih Al-Ibrahim (protect),Lead Project Engineer of KACKC at Saudi Aramco, and discussed the project's progress. The center is on schedule, he said, despite quiet opposition from conservatives within Aramco. ¶3. (C) Resistance stems from the center's aim to provide art, a world-class museum, a public library, and performance facilities. The sprawling center's groundbreaking took place on May 20, 2008 and is scheduled to open in 2011 with a full schedule of exhibits, programs, and events. Nabih made no indication that conservative elements within Aramco have the potential to derail the King's vision, yet he noted that resistance and criticism from conservative elements will increase as the project nears completion and opening. In fact, the King has instructed Aramco to keep a low profile as the project progresses. Only the King's insistence, he noted, could result in the development of such a progressive endeavor, thus underscoring the tensions between progressive and conservative elements of Saudi society. ¶5. (U) The $400m Center is being constructed atop the oil-rich Dammam dome where oil was first discovered, making it both a national landmark that commemorates Saudi Arabia's oil resources and a leading educational and cultural institution. The center will offer an array of exhibits, events, and learning tools that engage students, adults, and scholars. Ithra's programs are designed to be hands-on and interactive by using world class publications and state-of-the-art multi-media technologies. Aramco has contracted with firms Davis Langdon, Buro Happold and Norwegian architect Snohetta, to design an integrated landscape, interior, and architecture. The building itself will consist of three rock-like images that spring from the ground, symbolizing the past, and reach into the sky, symbolizing the future. Each rock will house a facility. The appearance, sizes, and arrangement of the rocks symbolize the simultaneous unity, diversity, and interdependence of the peoples of KSA and the rest of the world. The building's construction methods will adhere to environmental standards, employing hydrocarbon-based products and expending as few natural resources as possible. There is a related website that provides details about the actual facility. Aramco the Lifeline of the King's Progressive Vision -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) Nabih posited that the King Abdulaziz University of Science and technology (KAUST) and the KACKC embody King Abdullah's progressive vision; Aramco is the only government agency to have earned the King's confidence to carry out such DHAHRAN 00000265 002.2 OF 002 projects. Nabih claimed the King had tried without success to find a government ministry capable of implementing his vision. The King's staff asked both the Ministry of Finance and Aramco separately --without the other's knowledge-- for a cost estimate. The Ministry of Finance's budget estimate submission was higher than Aramco's, said Nabih, which led ultimately to the King tasking Aramco with the cultural project. In Nabih's view, except for the King, Saudi Aramco is the most powerful institution in KSA. (Comment: Although Post feels that Nabih overestimates Aramco's power and influence in Saudi politics --the MOI is much more powerful-- there is no doubt that the oil giant is the King's preferred tool for spurring his reform agenda. End Comment.) Comment -------------- ¶7. (C) Although this will not be the only supermodern cultural institution in the Kingdom (the National Museum in Riyadh, run by the Ministry of Tourism, has a number of the same reformist elements),it is noteworthy that the King has turned again to Aramco to implement a significant project. Our interpretation is that this demonstrates a confidence that Aramco can build potentially controversial institutions without getting caught up in the static of "normal" ministries. As the inauguration of KAUST has shown, however, building and running a new institution are two different things. End Comment. CG: JKENNY