SCENESETTER FOR CODEL LOWEY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 RIYADH 000172 CODEL SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OREP PREL PGOV PTER ECON SA SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR CODEL LOWEY REF: STATE 10695 INTRODUCTION -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Madam Chair, Mission Saudi Arabia enthusiastically welcomes the visit of CODEL Lowey to Riyadh and Jeddah. By virtue of its energy resources, financial power, counterterrorism efforts, and leadership of the Muslim world, Saudi Arabia plays a critical role in almost every global and regional issue of importance to the United States. You will arrive at about the same time as several other prominent official visitors, including Secretary Clinton, General Petraeus, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wolin, Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Hormats, Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador Holbrooke, and just before the visit of Energy Secretary Chu. These visits highlight the many dimensions of our strategic partnership, as well as the importance both countries attach to deepening and broadening our engagement, badly strained in the aftermath of 9/11. A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP BASED ON SHARED INTERESTS BUT MARKED BY DIVERGING VALUES -------------- ¶2. (U) Counterterrorism cooperation following terrorist attacks in Riyadh in 2003 put damaged U.S.-Saudi relations on the path to recovery, and today Saudi Arabia is a key ally in the fight against violent extremism. Our strategic partnership was also strengthened by shared objectives on global and regional issues, including global financial stability, stable energy markets, combating threats posed by terrorism and extremism, the urgent need for progress toward Middle East peace, containing Iran, and preventing the destabilization of Pakistan and Yemen. Nevertheless, differences remain. The United States has concerns about the status of women, lack of religious freedom, human rights restrictions, and limited political participation in Saudi Arabia, and our very different cultures and value systems ensure a degree of built-in tension, occasional misunderstanding, and hesitancy in the relationship. Your delegation's visit is especially important in this context, as it provides an opportunity to develop the dialogue between the U.S. Congressional leadership and key Saudi leaders needed to sustain mutually-beneficial bilateral cooperation. EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY TO COMBAT VIOLENT EXTREMISM -------------- ¶3. (SBU) You have been well-briefed by our Washington colleagues on security and regional strategic issues, so this message will focus on a view of Saudi Arabia often overlooked by outside observers, but just as important to the bilateral relationship and to U.S. national security: Saudi Arabia as a country in transition. You arrive at a time when the Kingdom's leadership is confronting a number of difficult challenges: combating extremist ideology and providing for a rapidly expanding population (the annual growth rate is about 2 percent). Having faced down what amounted to an insurgency by Al-Qaida between 2003-2006, King Abdullah is attempting to eradicate the roots of extremist ideology through education and judicial reforms designed to weaken the power and influence of the most reactionary elements of Saudi Arabia's religious establishment, and by promoting economic diversification to create jobs for a Saudi youth bulge (over half the population is under 20) that is just now reaching maturity. The King is keenly aware of the urgent need to make Saudi education more relevant to today's workplace and increase the role of women in the economy, both of which are controversial in this deeply conservative, inward-looking desert Kingdom. Guided by a vision that is remarkably congruent with that outlined by President Obama in his Cairo speech to the Muslim world, King Abdullah has begun to implement an ambitious plan to transform Saudi Arabia's economy away from excessive reliance on hydrocarbons and towards a knowledge-based economy that can provide sustainable development for the long-term. ¶4. (SBU) Achieving these goals will require nothing short of a revolution in the education system and significant changes in most aspects of Saudi society. Seen from the outside, the pace of reform seems glacial. Yet for certain elements of Saudi society, the changes are coming too fast. Whatever the pace, however, the reality is that serious reforms are irrevocably changing the face of the country. Recently implemented measures include re-shuffling the Ministry of Education's leadership last February (bringing in the King's pro-reform son-in-law as the new minister); a top-to-bottom RIYADH 00000172 002 OF 004 restructuring of the country's courts to introduce, among other things, review of judicial decisions and more professional training for Shari'a judges; the creation of a new investment promotion agency to overhaul the once-convoluted process of starting a business here; the creation of a regulatory body for capital markets; the construction of the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (the country's new flagship and controversially-coed institution for advanced scientific research); and a substantial budgetary investment in educating the workforce for future jobs. The Saudi government is also encouraging the development of non-hydrocarbon sectors in which the Kingdom has a comparative advantage, including mining, solar energy, and religious tourism. The Kingdom's 2010 budget reflects these priorities -- about 25 percent is devoted to education alone -- and amounts to a significant economic stimulus package. INSTITUTIONAL AGENTS OF CHANGE -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The King and his advisers are also keenly aware of the need to develop institutional capacity to implement and sustain comprehensive reform. While Saudi institutions are generally weak, five in particular stand out as agents of change. The largest -- Saudi Aramco -- is well known to outsiders as an icon of the Kingdom. Four others, including a fledgling legislature, a center to promote dialogue, a flagship research university, and the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, are steadily expanding their reach, influence, and ultimately, their capacity to ensure that the King's reforms will endure. There are other organizations leading change that are less prominent, but have easily as big an impact on specific spheres, such as Saudi Arabia,s Food and Drug Authority, which has worked with the U.S. FDA to set up a crackerjack e-government approach to registering and overseeing medicines. Similarly, the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) is a combination between a Ministry of Science and a Department of Energy lab, and is signing technology implementation agreements with companies like IBM to introduce technologies of the future, like nanotechnology solar cells and nanotechnology water desalination, on a commercial scale in the Kingdom. ¶6. (SBU) LEGISLATURE: Saudi Arabia's proto-parliament, the 150-member Consultative Council (Majlis Al Shura) is an advisory rather than a representative body, but nevertheless plays a role in shaping both government policies and public perceptions. The King appoints its members, most of whom are highly-educated technocrats expert in their fields rather than political leaders. It can only propose legislation, which must then be approved by the Council of Ministers and the King. However, its limited powers have increased incrementally since it was revived in 1992, and today its influence stems from its responsibility for the Kingdom's five-year development plans, from which the annual budgets are derived, its ability to summon government officials for questioning, and its role as a genuine policy debate forum. Its membership is drawn from and is roughly proportional to the populations of the Kingdom's thirteen provinces, and includes reformers and key religious scholars. Acknowledging the need to expand women's formal participation in Saudi institutions, the King has also appointed twelve female "advisers" to the Council. The Majlis is dominated by members who have studied in the United States, illustrating that influential Saudis still, more often than not, are likely to be U.S.-educated, speak American English, and while not always fully agreeing with USG policies, hold the U.S. in high regard. ¶7. (U) KING ABDALAZIZ CENTER FOR NATIONAL DIALOGUE (KACND): Established by then-Crown Prince Abdullah in 2003 to bridge the intense polarization of Saudi society, the KACND conducts training in schools, universities and community centers to teach citizens how to practice tolerance and respect for differences, and hosts an annual national conference intended to increase understanding on controversial social issues, and formulate recommendations for changes for the King's review. Topics have included national unity, moderation, women's rights and obligations, youth, cross-cultural understanding, education, employment, and healthcare. Participants include representatives from various Muslim sects, university faculty and teachers, sociologists, economists, youth, businessmen and Islamic scholars and imams. While the first national meeting had 30 participants, all of whom were men, the last conference included a thousand participants, half of whom were women. ¶8. (SBU) KAUST, "THE HOUSE OF WISDOM": The recently inaugurated $9-billion King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) is the King's legacy project, and RIYADH 00000172 003 OF 004 reflects his deeply-felt vision for the Kingdom's future. He personally oversaw every step of its development, monitoring its construction through webcams from his various offices and residences. His inaugural remarks emphasized the importance of faith and tolerance in the pursuit of science and future development. The lavish ceremony was broadcast live to great acclaim, though the scenes of officially sanctioned mixed-gender festivities were apparently beyond the pale for conservatives for whom the notion that reform requires mixed-gender education is anathema. ¶9. (SBU) A member of the country's highest clerical body -- the Council of Senior Scholars -- publicly expressed his opposition to gender mixing and was summarily dismissed. However, this swift action by the SAG did not settle the controversy, and heated debates continue, mostly over the internet. While many Saudis support the King's efforts to promote education, most are uncomfortable with the idea of coed schools. Even many of the Muslim students at KAUST have balked at coed activities, and sorting out the degree to which men and women mingle is among the new institution's growing pains. (The student body consists of nearly 400 graduate students, representing some 60 nationalities, including 33 Americans and over 50 Saudis.) The intensity and public nature of the debate are remarkable, and suggest a conservative backlash to the King's initiative. While the King is likely to prevail -- this is not the first clash between the Saudi leadership and religious conservatives over educational issues -- the controversy illustrates some of the very real impediments to reform. ¶10. (SBU) JCCI: EXPANDING THE ROLE OF WOMEN: The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) is, in the Saudi context, a uniquely active organization on the front line of social change in Saudi Arabia, both in selecting its managing board through direct elections, and in the level of participation of women in the organization. In recent years, women were both appointed and elected to the board, and following recent elections, a woman was elected as Deputy Chair of the Board for the first time, after a suspense-filled election that included U.S.-style campaigning. In a country that limits the formation of civil society groups and public demonstrations, the JCCI provides a venue for debate and non-governmental activities, and often lobbies the government on policies. The Khadija Bint Khowalid Center for Businesswomen within the JCCI has evolved from a training center to a lobbying unit that seeks to persuade the government to strike down barriers to women,s participation in the economy. Within the JCCI, women and men are able to interact on a professional basis -- a phenomenon still uncommon in most of the Kingdom. U.S. PARTNERSHIPS TO SUPPORT GOVERNMENT REFORMS -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Saudi officials have been candid in stressing the importance they place on strong ties with the United States to help them meet reform challenges, both through increased engagement at the government level, including educational exchanges, and more Foreign Direct Investment, particularly in energy, high tech, and manufacturing. They hope to attract U.S. firms to invest in the Kingdom because our firms tend to invest for the long-term, bring the best technology, and commit to training local staff. Saudi officials are also very keen to expand educational ties to the U.S. including expanding a scholarship program that has already sent thousands of Saudi students to U.S. colleges and universities, many in scientific and technical fields. There are currently more than 22,000 Saudis studying at American universities. The Embassy is working closely with a host of Saudi ministries to expand trade and investment ties, which will generate jobs for both Americans and Saudis. We also have an active Science, Technology and Health partnership with Saudi Arabia. Cooperation includes a Centers for Disease Control project to design and deploy an innovative new health information management system that allowed health officers to factor in street-level information on a real time basis to protect the health of this year,s Hajj pilgrims. This system will help control outbreaks of diseases like H1N1 internationally. The Mission has been able to use the Middle East Partnership Initiative to support some government reforms; for example, in 2008 the Embassy sponsored the first-time ever exchange of a group of Saudi judges from Riyadh. Mission elements have also provided training to help the government in its implementation of a new law to combat trafficking in persons. HOW SAUDIS VIEW THE FUTURE -------------- RIYADH 00000172 004 OF 004 ¶12. (SBU) Though many of the changes described above are for the better, observers often ask whether a reform program directed by an 86-year old monarch is sustainable. The answer is debatable, but a recent survey of Saudis in three cities conducted by a U.S. pollster revealed that the majority believed that the country was moving in the right direction. At the same time, they listed corruption, unemployment, inflation, and religious extremism among their chief worries, and about twenty percent expressed some support for Al-Qaida. While it is difficult to assess how much any such poll truly reflects public opinion, these views are echoed among Embassy contacts. That Saudis would be willing to even consider answering questions posed by unknown pollsters is itself an illustration of how much the country has changed. While only Saudis themselves can decide the pace and direction of the country's reform process, strong U.S.-Saudi partnerships across a range fields are likely to benefit both nations. Embassy Riyadh looks forward to extensive discussions on this and other issues during your visit. SMITH