ASIR,SAUDI ARABIA: EIGHT YEARS AFTER 9/11:

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 JEDDAH 000228

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2014
TAGS: ECON KPAO PGOV PHUM PREL SOCI SA
SUBJECT: ASIR,SAUDI ARABIA: EIGHT YEARS AFTER 9/11:
EDUCATION, COMMERCE, TOURISM, YEMEN AND RAIN

REF: A. 08JEDDAH16

B. 07JEDDAH512

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Classified By: Consul General Martin R. Quinn for reasons 1.4(b) and (d
)


1. (C) SUMMARY: ConGen May 12-13 visit to Abha, Asir Province
in Saudi Arabia, revealed a region working double-time to
fund quality education for its population, nearly eight years
after at least six Asiri natives (assumed by locals to be
uneducated, brainwashed youth) took part in the 9/11 attacks.
Asir is distinctly middle class -- neither conspicuously
affluent nor conspicuously poor -- with definite room for
fostering additional US-Saudi business ties. The Abha
Chamber of Commerce and Industry presents itself as highly
professional and ready to find suitable commercial partners
for American franchises. While Asir enjoys a moderate
climate due to its high elevation (five to seven thousand
feet above sea level) and has a wealth of potential touristic
attractions, progress is slow in building its tourism
industry. Neighboring Yemen looms against the background of
Asir's progress with constant reminders of a porous border
that presents security concerns to the region and Kingdom at
large. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) COURTESY CALL ON GOVERNOR: On May 12 Consul General
and Consulate officers met with Prince Faisal bin Khalid bin
Abdulaziz Al Saud, Governor of Asir. The Prince expressed a
hope for an increase in regional tourism, explaining that the
Saudi economy is facing a hit -- albeit not as bad as other
countries during the current global economic crisis. The
Governor has concerns about the Yemeni border situation,
noting that the Yemenis crossing illegally into Saudi Arabia
are usually motivated by economic reasons and that many
return to Kingdom after being deported to Yemen. Prince
Faisal sees the issue as a regional security concern.


3. (SBU) CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PROMOTING ABHA: The delegation
met the Abha Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI)
including Board Chairman Abdullah S. Almobty. The Chairman
expressed particular interest in developing the mining,
education, and health care sectors as well as a desire to
work with US companies: "We would be happy if we had some
American companies here." Waxing nostalgic about the November
2007 US Commerce and Culture festival held in Abha with
Consulate Jeddah coordination (ref A),Almobty encourages US
businesses to locate in Abha, lamenting that trade
delegations tend to go to Riyadh and Jeddah but never the
Asir. Assuring officers that the ACCI would support
franchise businesses by finding appropriate partners, Almobty
said the Chamber offers English classes in-house through the
Wall Street Institute and is pledged to foster cooperation.


4. (SBU) KING KHALID UNIVERSITY PUSHING AHEAD: Education
emerged as a central visit theme. Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed
bin Abdullah Al Rashed, President of King Khaled University,
explained that the University recently merged several other
institutions of higher education to create one of the largest
learning centers in the Kingdom with seventy thousand
students. A tour of the dental school revealed
state-of-the-art equipment being used to serve a significant
population with timely, inexpensive public health dental
services. Other parts of the University appeared
well-maintained with modern in-room technology, knowledgeable
instructors, and interested students. The university
president encourages students to study in the United States
despite concerns over the visa process and name checks (many
Asiris share similar names with some of the 9/11 hijackers
due to the limited number of tribes in the region and common
first names). While men and women students are segregated,
university officials consistently commented that teaching and
technology are being utilized to maximize learning
opportunities for both genders. (Note: Conoffs did not have
an opportunity to meet with women during the visit.)


5. (SBU) ABHA TECHNICAL COLLEGE ENCOURAGES SAUDIZATION: A
presentation at the Abha Technical College showed an attempt
by officials to integrate graduates into work fields
traditionally reserved for foreigners. One administrator
noted the effort to encourage Saudi students to adopt "a blue
gown instead of a white thobe," acknowledging the difficult
challenge of moving students' mindsets away from
management-oriented white collar work towards blue collar
occupations: "This is the issue we are facing at the
cultural level. We are still trying to convince teenagers
that a blue collar job can be their future."


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6. (C) IRANIAN INFLUENCE IN YEMEN?: Abdulaziz S. A.
Al-Mathami, Assistant General Manager at Al-Watan Newspaper,
and former staff member at the Saudi Embassy in Washington,
said that Iran is contributing to an increased threat by
inciting the Al-Houthi tribe of Shi'a in northern Yemen.
(Note: The Al-Houthi are from the Zaydi branch of Shi'ism,
often thought to be among the most moderate Shi'a and closest
to Sunnis in their belief system.) While Al-Mathami was
unable to provide further information about Iranian
intentions, he suggested that there was likely some link to
terrorism and perhaps coordination with Al-Qaeda. Al-Mathami
was not able to provide specific information nor was he able
to explain why the Shi'a and Al-Qaeda would form an alliance.
Al-Mathami stressed that Iran is a threat to the Kingdom and
seemed more intent on having American officers leave with
that impression rather than to provide any details of the
connection.


7. (C) AFTERMATH OF 9/11: Nearly eight years after at least
six young men from Asir participated in the attacks of 9/11,
the subject does not come up easily. Abha officials and
elites avoid the topics and clearly prefer to showcase the
region's educational and commercial achievements rather than
confront a sensitive and painful blast from the past.
According to Said Al-Asmri, Secretary General of the Abha
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, most Asiris strongly doubt
that so many young men from their region were involved in the
9/11 attack. The usual explanation is that the educational
level in the Asir is too low to have allowed the men to
orchestrate the attacks. The other hypothesis is that they
were brainwashed. Al-Asmri agreed that the 9/11 incident
left the Asir region with an even more negative public image
than it had before. Most Jeddah residents known to conoffs
claim never to have visited Asir or, if they have, only once
long ago. To a sophisticated Jeddawi, Abha is the ultimate
Dullsville.


8. (SBU) TOURISM POTENTIAL: Abha is interested in exploiting
tourism, but it is less clear that steps toward promoting
this potentially income-earning sector are moving forward.
With its year-round cool weather, astounding vistas, cable
cars connecting inner-city points with towns below, Abha
would seem to be an ideal location for domestic and other
Gulf region holiday-makers. Nevertheless, the airport is
small, first class hotels are limited in number, and the
holiday season is mostly confined to the summer -- when the
rest of Saudi Arabia is baking in the heat. For example, the
luxury Intercontinental Hotel at Jebel Sooda, the Kingdom's
highest point at ten thousand feet, twenty minutes by car
from Abha, is open only for two months per year. It was
explained that flights to Cairo might begin soon, but also
suggested that more Saudis would travel from Abha to Cairo
for vacations rather than Egyptians to the Asir. Cultural
tourism opportunities abound including an impressive and
well-planned cultural museum and village (Bin Humsan Village
in nearby Khamees Mushayt) as well as the unusual town of Al
Habla, an oasis hanging on the edge of a cliff. Limited
advertising of these attractions and restrictions on tourism
in the Kingdom (virtually no tourist visas and prohibitions
on allowing Umrah/Haj pilgims to visit areas outside Mecca
and Medina) appear unlikely to make Abha an international
tourist destination.


9. (U) AL HABLA IN THE RAIN: Shortly after descending by
cable car over the massive cliff's edge to the town of Al
Habla, ConGen officers experienced the heaviest rainfall
(accompanied by lightning and hail) reported in decades. Al
Habla's small community of "flower men" were once able to
access the main land over the high cliffs towering above the
village only by means of passing through rugged canyons and
using ropes to raise themselves above sheer rock walls. Two
decades ago the community of 200 villagers were encouraged to
move "uptown" by authorities, and a cable car installed to
allow visitors to tour the town, kept Al Habla partially
preserved as an historic cultural village. Woefully
unprepared for a rain storm, without umbrellas or raincoats,
the consulate delegation huddled under shelters before making
its way to a primitive, ancient one-room house. The freak
storm gave Saudi hosts an opportunity to demonstrate to
American guests the ceremonial guns, swords, and other items
on display. With waterfalls cascading over the cliff sides
and plummetting hundreds of feet to the valley below, Asiri
children enjoyed a rare opportunity for water play.


10. (SBU) COMMENT: At first glance, educational development
seems the element of Asiri society that is moving into the
fast lane -- with technology and ample funds clearly focused

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on that effort. Opportunities for additional US business to
enter the region seem realistic with the middle class city
having few if any American establishments, but with a
population likely to have both appetite and means to enjoy US
products. (Residents already carry Burger King meals and
boxes of Dunkin' Donuts on flights from Jeddah to Asir.)
Future visits by the US Mission may lead to deeper
understanding of the region; the 50-minute flight makes Abha
a realistic day or weekend trip. The role of women in Asir
society is something that Consulate delegation was not able
to assess, but the impression is that the current status and
public life of women in the Asir may be closer to the
restrictive environment of the Najd than to the comparative
liberation of the Hejaz. END COMMENT.
QUINN