MECCA GOVERNOR KHALID AL FAISAL ON PUBLIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JEDDAH 000274 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PPD, ECA E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/18/2014 TAGS: PREL PHUM TPHY SCUL KPAO KISL SA SUBJECT: MECCA GOVERNOR KHALID AL FAISAL ON PUBLIC HOUSING,EDUCATION AND THE SHURA COUNCIL -- "TOWARDS THE FIRST WORLD" REF: JEDDAH 0265 JEDDAH 00000274 001.12 OF 002 Classified By: CG Martin R. Quinn for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In July 13 meeting with Charge, Governor of Mecca Region, HRH Prince Khalid Al Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, discussed the challenges of governing the Western Province of Saudi Arabia, the launching of public housing projects to eradicate Jeddah slums, the changes needed in the public education system, and the expanding role of the Shura Council. Positive on the theme of U.S.-Saudi cooperation, the Governor lauded post for its "American ) Saudi Arabian Culture and Commerce" festivals in Abha and Taif, welcomed further cooperation and announced as an imperative the Kingdom's goal of moving in the direction of the "First World." END SUMMARY. Public Housing for Non-citizen Residents -------------- ¶2. (SBU) In July 13 meeting with Charge (Ambassador Erdman), Mecca Governor Khalid Al Faisal commented on the diversity in the resident population of the greater Mecca region created by non-Saudis migrating to the pilgrimage site to escape conflict in their home countries as well as the familiar phenomenon of Hajj and Umra visitors overstaying their visas. According to the Governor, modern "asylum seekers" arrived in the Kingdom in successive waves about 40)50 years ago. Although accepted as residents by the SAG, most never actually became Saudi citizens and are thus not legally registered. The numbers of these non-Saudi residents have grown to over a million. While basic facilities such as water and electricity are available, strains on the Jeddah infrastructure have led to slum living conditions for these non-citizens. ¶3. (SBU) The Governor discussed the launching of new public housing projects for this community as well as his personal success in securing the King,s approval. In order to address the problem of some 50 slum areas in Jeddah and over 60 in Mecca, the SAG is encouraging "joint ventures" between the SAG and private sector companies in order to build public housing areas which will include schools and hospitals, renovated streets, vocational training centers, along with career counseling and employment services. The development �0A;committee, headed by the Governor, coordinates with the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Health and various municipal offices, the primary goal being to legalize the status of the non-citizen residents. Khalid Al Faisal said the project would take upwards of 5 years. Educational Changes -------------- 4.(SBU) Charge,s mention of the impressive undertaking at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST),north of Jeddah, prompted the Governor into a discussion of the drastic changes needed in the Saudi public education system and the severe challenges facing the new Saudi Minister of Education, Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed (son-in-law of King Abdullah and widely regarded as a progressive force for reform). Khalid affirmed King Abdullah,s commitment to improving education by recent SAG funding to implement educational upgrades. It was expensive and difficult, he said, but investing in the Kingdom's human capital was essential. ¶5. (SBU) Charge recalled his experiences in Algeria, where extremists had spread their message via radical teachers imported from Egypt and had used children to pressure parents to become more observant. Khalid said they had experienced precisely the same phenomenon in the Kingdom. "Extremist ideology," he claimed, had been imported by expatriates, mostly Egyptian, members of the Muslim Brotherhood fleeing Nasser's Egypt. "Teachers are the key to change, not the students themselves," and too many were not qualified. There was a pressing need to raise overall qualifications among the educational profession in Saudi Arabia. Another problem is that academic texts used half a century ago during his school days were very similar to those used today. Shura Council -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The Governor commended the SAG selection process in the shuffle in Shura Council membership earlier this year for JEDDAH 00000274 002.2 OF 002 producing a diverse mix of highly-educated Saudis from different tribes and various professions. Sketching the historical evolution of the council from the days of King Abdulaziz and noting the increasing number of younger members, the Governor said that gradual expansion of the Council,s role as a quasi-legislative body was not only welcomed by the King but was part of his long-term plan for modernizing the Kingdom. "Towards the First World" -------------- ¶7. (C) Khalid Al Faisal summarized his goals for the Kingdom in the slogan "Towards the First World," commenting wryly that "we are completely fed up with the Third World." While the trappings of modernity and progress have made their way into Saudi Arabia, significant work remained to enable the country to "accept, absorb and adopt" the impact of these changes. The Governor lauded post for the Consulate,s "American)Saudi Arabian Culture and Commerce" festivals in Abha (2007) and Taif (2009). These events supported international dialogue, he said, while acknowledging, with a sense of pride, his personal role in proposing these projects. ¶8. (U) Ambassador Erdman has cleared this message. QUINN