SCENESETTER FOR UNDER SECRETARY KENNEDY'S JULY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 RIYADH 000949 SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR UNDER SECRETARY KENNEDY FROM AMBASSADOR ERDMAN DEPT PASS TO UNDER SECRETARY FOR MANAGEMENT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AMGT ABLD ASEC CMGT CVIS CASC ECON PREL SA SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR UNDER SECRETARY KENNEDY'S JULY 25-27 VISIT TO SAUDI ARABIA INTRODUCTION -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Embassy Riyadh warmly welcomes you to the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia remains an important strategic U.S. ally by virtue of its energy resources, geographic location, counterterrorism role, and leadership within the Muslim world. The Al Saud see the United States as their most important strategic partner and guarantor of their security. In addition, we have many shared objectives on global and regional issues, including global financial and energy stability, combating threats posed by terrorism and extremism, the urgent need for progress towards Middle East peace, and addressing the dangers posed by Iran and destabilization in Pakistan. ¶2. (SBU) Our work in the Kingdom requires a fully-staffed embassy with the resources necessary to maximize Saudi cooperation on facilities security, counterterrorism, and a range of political and economic issues. The importance of Saudi Arabia's role is reflected in the number of non-stop VIP visitors to the Kingdom, all of which require logistical and substantive support. In the past two months alone we have hosted the President, Defense Secretary Gates, Treasury Secretary Geithner, Special Envoys / Representatives Mitchell, Ross, and Holbrooke, General Petraeus, a CODEL, and numerous other officials. Beyond Riyadh, Jeddah is the de facto seat of government in the Kingdom for three months every summer, placing an enormous burden on the resources of our Consulate General, which supports numerous senior U.S. visitors during this period. In this respect, it functions as much more than a traditional consulate, and resource decisions need to take this into account. ¶3. (SBU) While the security situation in the Kingdom remains fragile, it has improved dramatically over the past five years. The Saudi government now fully understands the direct threat to the Kingdom posed by Al Qaeda -- which was not the case before 2003 -- and due to the government's increased vigilance and counterterrorism cooperation, there has been no significant terrorist incident in the Kingdom since early ¶2007. We welcome the Department's recent decisions to extend the length of tours in the Mission to two years and to allow the return of all family members to Dhahran and of certain family members to Riyadh and Jeddah. As we move to two-year tours, this will have an important bearing on our ability to ensure we have the staff we need to fulfill our critical mission. I look forward to discussing with you ways we can ensure positions in Riyadh and Jeddah continue to receive qualified bidders with two-year tours taking them away from their school-age children for a longer period of time. End introduction. CHALLENGES WITHIN THE MISSION -------------- ¶4. (SBU) A few basic facts first: country-wide, we have 468 U.S. personnel, including 305 U.S. military. The Embassy has a budget of $22 million (combined ICASS and Program),7 agencies, 112 U.S. employees, and 215 Foreign Service Nationals. Jeddah has a total of 143 employees (29 U.S. and 114 local). Dhahran has 105 employees (22 U.S. and 83 local). Unlike most embassies outside the Gulf, the local employees are almost entirely third country nationals and this poses a unique set of problems. ¶5. (SBU) You will be meeting with the Embassy's local staff, almost all of whom are non-Saudi, but who are hired locally and therefore not considered third-country nationals for employment purposes. However, most maintain strong ties to their home countries, creating a dichotomy which hurts morale. Their main concerns include the lack of a comprehensive retirement plan (as they are not eligible to enroll in the Saudi social security scheme); their desire for an education allowance for their children; concerns about how the homeward passage (similar to an R&R) program is administered; and the inclusion of family members over 23 years old in their health insurance policy. They are also concerned that recent pay increases are not keeping pace with inflation. In 2008 they received a 2.9 percent raise while inflation was 9.2 percent. ¶6. (SBU) Vacancies in Post's eligible family member (EFM) positions remain a source of concern. Currently five of nine positions in Riyadh and one of two positions in Dhahran are unfilled. Most of Riyadh's current EFMs are slated to depart in the next few months, with only one replacement identified to date. We expect the Department's recent relaxation of the RIYADH 00000949 002 OF 003 Mission's unaccompanied status may ease this situation, but encourage you to consider further accommodations such as permitting the return of home-schooled children or children who would board elsewhere, such as in Bahrain. LIMITED CONSULAR RESOURCES, EXPANDED WORKLOAD -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Year-on-year visa adjudications are up 40 percent this year, finally surpassing pre-9/11 levels for the first time this past June. The bulk of these are for business, tourism, and study, with almost 19,000 Saudi students (plus their family members) currently in the U.S. Security advisory opinions, required in around 40 percent of all visa cases, remain the biggest impediment to the smooth and efficient adjudication of visas. In addition to visa issues, we are working with American citizens on a range of concerns, including child custody and refugee cases (especially problematic given the lack of rights accorded to women and children and which generate strong Congressional interest) and visa reciprocity. Despite our 2008 agreement with the Kingdom, Saudi authorities rarely grant the five-year multiple-entry visas which Americans are authorized. We continue to engage Saudi authorities on these issues at all appropriate levels. EVOLVING SECURITY ENVIRONMENT -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The security environment in the Kingdom has improved significantly since 2003 - 2004, when Al Qaeda attacks peaked. Saudi security forces have dramatically improved their training, equipment, and intelligence gathering capabilities. They have hardened likely targets, captured or killed almost 3,000 terrorists, and continue to make the Kingdom a hostile environment for both indigenous and transnational terrorism. That said, the security situation here remains fragile. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula issued a statement this past January in which it announced its intentions to continue targeting the Kingdom's government, its infrastructure, and Westerners. The Kingdom is ground zero for three of Al Qaeda's key global objectives: toppling the Al Saud, seizing control of the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina, and deepening the international financial crisis by interrupting Saudi oil exports. PROTECTING ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE -------------- ¶9. (SBU) In May 2008, the Secretary and the Saudi Interior Minister signed a Technical Cooperation Agreement (TCA) creating the Office of Program Management - Ministry of the Interior (OPM-MOI). OPM-MOI is a State-led interagency effort to assist the Saudi Interior Ministry (MOI) with protection of critical infrastructure. Interagency partners currently include the departments of Defense and Energy. DOD is contributing expertise in training and is equipping a new 35,000-man MOI security force that will protect critical infrastructure sites. DOE is assisting MOI by conducting critical infrastructure vulnerability assessments and by providing technical assistance. To date, four agreements have been signed with the SAG to fund this program. We are waiting on $37 million in Saudi funds to be transferred -- imminently we are told -- from the Ministry of Finance to OPM-MOI's U.S. Treasury Department bank account. ¶10. (SBU) Other significant OPM-MOI activities include assisting MOI to develop a diplomatic security equivalent, cyber security assistance, providing bilingual technical experts to MOI, maritime critical infrastructure protection, and border security. This is a long-term and path-breaking form of engagement with the SAG (and with any country, for that matter),and other USG interagency partners will soon be assisting the program. DHAHRAN: WHERE TO MOVE? -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Our Consulate General in Dhahran, where you will be traveling on the second leg of your visit, is in negotiations with the SAG for a new Consulate site. Although the Consulate would prefer to build its new office building and staff housing on the existing site, the SAG has indicated that the adjacent university would like to expand, and proposed relocating the Consulate elsewhere. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has identified two possible sites (which you will get a chance to visit) and we have proposed a third, which they are still considering. Our lease on the existing RIYADH 00000949 003 OF 003 site expires in 2016. This is further complicated due to the existence of the International School (Dhahran Academy) that is co-located on the existing Consulate property. ¶12. (SBU) Although somewhat recovered in recent years, CG Dhahran still faces an acute staffing shortage. With 22 Americans and 83 local staff, and only one (entry-level) officer covering political and economic issues, the consulate needs the deputy principal officer position reinstated to assist with post management and reporting. We recently reinstated full consular operations in Dhahran after a fifteen year hiatus, but have been relying on TDY staff from Riyadh to meet substantial demand for these services. This, together with the fact that there are 13,000 American citizens in the Consulate's district requiring various citizen services, places a burden on the existing staff. To help alleviate this, the one un-filled consular position that has been approved by CA should be staffed as soon as possible. Post is also in need of a second ARSO position. ERDMAN