SAUDI ARABIA RATIFIES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

UNCLAS RIYADH 001258 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/ARP (HARRIS, BERNDT) AND OES/SCT (FERGUSON) DEPT PASS TO NOAA, NASA, AND DOE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON TSPL KTIA KSCA PREL SA SUBJECT: SAUDI ARABIA RATIFIES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT, HOPES TO MEET IN DECEMBER REF: RIYADH 659 ¶1. (SBU) This is an action request. See paragraph 5. ¶2. (SBU) In a recent meeting with EconCouns, Prince Turki al-Saud, Vice President of the King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) said he is very pleased with the level of U.S.-Saudi science and technology collaboration. He said that the December 2008 U.S.-Saudi Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation is proving to be a very useful coordinating mechanism. Prince Turki confirmed that the Shoura Council formally ratified this agreement on September 1, officially bringing the agreement into effect in Saudi Arabia, although KACST has already pursued cooperation under the agreement in several areas. Prince Turki was particularly appreciative of the May working group sessions held in Riyadh, and promised that the Saudi side would wrap up its final comments on the record of the session very soon. Turki said that the bilateral agreement has helped Saudi institutions focus on their top priorities, and the need to define specific projects to pursue. In that regard, he said that cooperation with foreign institutions was welcome, particularly in areas like water and energy. ¶3. (SBU) Prince Turki noted that partnerships with American institutions, both universities and companies, have formed the backbone of KACST's cooperative activities since its founding (although he also noted Saudi Arabia is trying to diversify its outreach). He said that several of these partnerships were already paying dividends for Saudi scientists in terms of affording them access to advanced fields of knowledge. He was also particularly proud of several upcoming projects with American institutions, including cooperation with NASA on three research missions over the next four years. ¶4. (SBU) Prince Turki expressed eagerness to move forward under the agreement, and said Saudi Arabia would like to hold a few targeted working group meetings in December in Washington DC. Turki proposed the December meetings concentrate on innovation and space cooperation, specifically including NASA, NOAA, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). He also reported that Saudi Aramco is interested in discussing cooperation with DOE's Argonne National Laboratory, although he did not have details on what topic. Comment: Post supports the Saudi proposal to hold follow up working group meetings under the bilateral S&T agreement. Particularly in the wake of the inauguration of the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology, meetings in Washington will help demonstrate our interest in expanding our bilateral S&T cooperation with Saudi Arabia. We understand the logic behind the Saudi suggestion that these next meetings focus on specific potential projects for cooperation, although we would be open to any suggestions from U.S. agencies of areas for further potential cooperation. End Comment. ¶5. ACTION REQUEST: Post requests Department's assistance in contacting NASA, NOAA, NAS, and NSF to identify potential December dates for working group meetings in Washington. Post also requests the Department's assistance in identifying any other areas of potential interest for working groups in December. END ACTION REQUEST. SMITH