Ain-Al-Yaqeen - March 17, 2006

		March 17, 2006

PRINCE SULTAN IBN ABDUL AZIZ APPROVES TO CONVENE THE FIRST FORUM FOR EMPLOYMENT.
THE FORUM WILL DISCUSS NEW AND MODERN TECHNOLOGIES IN THE FIELDS OF EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING.
PRINCE TURKI AL-FAISAL: THE ADVICES OF THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES ARE THE PATH FOR SUCCESS.
STRAW AND IHSANOGLU EXPRESS REGRETS FOR THE PUBLICATION OF THE CARICATURES AND STRESS THAT TERRORISM IS ANATHEMA TO ALL FAITHS AND HUMAN VALUES, AND HAS NO LEGITIMACY IN THE EYES OF THE CIVILISED WORLD.

Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Aviation and Inspector General has approved to an employment and training forum to address the manpower challenges.

The topics on the forum agenda include recruitment, human resources, the requirements of education and training, the role of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) in the future of training to ensure the competitiveness of the labor force.

Other topics of discussion will be the needs of the labor market and and the latest training technologies and best technological solutions.

A number of speakers from official and academic organizations from the Kingdom will present papers seeking to provide input on successful experiments in terms of human resources development.

The forum would seek to diagnose weaknesses and obstacles facing training and human resources development. Workshops and training seminars will be part of the forum's program and its proceedings. These concurrent events will feature a number of experts from various fields such as the Ministry of Defence and Aviation, the Presidency of the National Guard, the General Security, the Ministry of Finance, the General Organization for Vocational Training, the Human Resources Development Fund, the Permanent Commission for Saudization at the Ministry of Defence, Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Companies working with the defence sectors.

On the other hand Saudi Ambassador to the US Prince Turki Al-Faisal discussed various aspects of the Saudi-US relationship in an interview with the Saudi-US Relations Information Service (SUSRIS).

Prince Turki said that the relationship between the two governments "is going very well." He noted numerous areas of Saudi-US cooperation, including the Saudi-US Strategic Dialogue.

Prince Turki said that six subgroups of the Dialogue working groups dealing with counterterrorism, military affairs, energy, economic and financial affairs, consular affairs and partnership, and education exchange and human development in the US and Saudi Arabia would meet for the first time this month.

The ambassador said that he himself would head the Saudi side at the meeting, while the American side would be led by Liz Cheney, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs and Coordinator for Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiatives.

Since the government-to-government relationship is going so well, Prince Turki said that as ambassador he is concentrating on reaching out to Congress and the American people.

In the wide-ranging interview, Prince Turki also discussed the history of Saudi-US relations, reform in the Kingdom, Saudi Arabia's efforts to combat global terrorism, the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and Saudi support for developing the political process in Iraq.

On Saudi American relations Prince Turki said the government-to-government relationship is going very well. We have a saying in Arabic, which goes "alnas ala dini mulukihim." The translation of that is "people follow the religion of their kings." So when King Abdullah was Crown Prince and met with President Bush twice -- and they actually became very good friends as a result of those meetings -- those who follow them in the governments have taken on the same empathy and the same sympathy, if you like, for each other. So the government-to-government relations have improved considerably since 2001 particularly during the last meeting in April (2005) in Crawford, Texas.

As you know that meeting was followed by a joint statement of both leaders, in which they stressed the common interests that bind the two countries and talked about how to improve the relationship between them, in terms of human exchanges, in terms of energy policy, in terms of the strategic alliance with the establishment of the Strategic Dialogue. This Dialogue has already met. The first time was in Crawford Texas between the two foreign ministers or foreign secretaries and the second time was in Jeddah last November. The next time will be in April or May this year in Washington.

There are offshoots of that dialogue, six working groups that deal with energy, security and intelligence, that deal with military affairs, financial affairs, visa and consular affairs and with another group which has a multiple purpose to it, a partnership in education and development of human resources in both countries. The first meeting of these subgroups is going to take place this month.

It is headed on the American side by Liz Cheney [US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs and Coordinator for Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiatives] and on the Saudi side by me. It will have representatives from various government institutions on both sides.

From the Saudi side it is going to be composed of people representing the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Information, the government human rights commission and of course the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and whoever we feel is required to talk about subjects that will be discussed.

We expect that on the American side it will be equally representative of various government departments whether it is homeland security or education and so forth and, of course, the State Department. These are the practical steps that have followed from the meetings between the King and the President.

Then there is the Congressional side. Our severest critics are in the Congress. And that is part of my brief from the King when I was coming here. I asked him how do you want me to deal with President Bush and the American people and he said, "Just be frank with them." Since the government-to-government issue is going so well -- it is practically handled by the King and President Bush, they call each other on the phone, they send emissaries between them -- my concentration is more on reaching out to Congress, both houses, and meeting with the critics of Saudi Arabia. I can hopefully answer their concerns and questions about the Kingdom and express to them our concerns and our questions about how we view the relationship from Saudi Arabia to the United States.

Then of course the other concern we have is talking with the American people. All the surveys we have seen on Saudi Arabia showed that before September 11th the country was relatively understood. It was among the middle range of countries that American people felt were friendly, and on certain issues they felt there was a special relationship between us. Since September 11th that position has dropped dramatically. Part of my brief is going to be to try to recoup the previous position that Saudi Arabia enjoyed in the American public's view and hopefully try to improve on that. That is why an outreach program by the embassy has been devised. It is reaching out to the people in America in their home states. It is part and parcel of that mission.

About the visits Prince Turki made in the few months since becoming Ambassador to the United States and that they have been reported in the press - Georgia, Arizona, Texas, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania - as upbeat and positive sessions, the Prince said I found the reception extremely gratifying. A great deal of warmth, which is not surprising to me, and a great deal of curiosity. People want to know everything about Saudi Arabia.

I remember when I came to school in the United States some years ago. On the first day I was going into the school a young boy came up to me and slapped me on the backside and introduced himself and I introduced myself and he kept asking me questions. Where are you from? What is it like? It was very much like the Bedouins in Saudi Arabia -- very engaging and appealing and made me feel at home in those days.

I think that spirit continues. There's a great thirst for information and knowledge, not just about the country as a geographic entity but about the people and the culture and the history. This effort is not confined to me alone, as you know there is an outreach program that private enterprise has undertaken over the last few years, with business people and professionals coming on their own time to meet with American organizations, government and non-government. Some of them have also shared with me their view that there is a great deal of curiosity about the Kingdom. So by going out to these various places in America I hope to be able to respond to this curiosity.

On the greatest area of interest about the Kingdom when meeting with American audiences Prince Turki said it is mostly the issue of culture. Certain givens in the American culture, in the view of some Americans, look to be almost diametrically opposed to what they consider Saudi culture or Saudi background. But when we sit down together to talk about these issues and the questions are posed an understanding develops.

For example, the role of women in Saudi Arabia. The picture here is that our women are wrapped up in these black bags and kept tied to their bedposts, absolutely devoid of any character or initiative or personality. Yet when we sit down and talk and especially when they see Saudi women engaged with them it changes the picture for them completely. Saudi women are pretty much like women everywhere.

Historically women have been downtrodden and one must admit that we men have been extremely, if you like, misogynistic toward women but that is changing. It is not just changing in America it is changing everywhere, including Saudi Arabia. I remind people I meet that when the US Constitution and Bill of Rights were written and signed by the founding fathers and became the law of the land the role of women in the US was not very good. They were not given the right to vote, they didn't have inheritance rights, couldn't form their own businesses or anything like that. It took you two hundred years of development and social education and mobility and so on to reach where you have reached.

America's democracy is still a work in progress. It hasn't reached the point that you will accept as the final perfect system. It is the same with us. We have our ideas published and written down in the Koran and our Bill of Rights is defined in the sayings of the Prophet. We have a very high value system for a society and in practice we still have a very long way to go to reach these heights, but we are moving in the right directionIn 1962 the literacy rate for Saudi women could not have exceeded five percent. By 2002 it was more than 80 percent. So we made a dramatic jump in 40 years' time due to education. Today in Saudi Arabia there are more women than men educated in universities. And they clearly outperformed the men completely in academic standards and achievement.

That change occurred because the introduction of education in Saudi Arabia for women occurred in 1962. And so the picture for women in Saudi Arabia is not as bleak as some would have you believe or some actually see it. There are other issues that are viewed like that. It's not that the Kingdom is not devoid of discrepancies if you like, or contradictions about issues whether it is human rights or women's rights or labor laws, et cetera, but we are moving in the right direction. We are moving forward. We are not going backward.

On the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia and the task of communicating the view of the bilateral relationship to the Congress, Prince Turki said: I'm a very practical person and I think for us to pursue the aims of what our leaders have set out for us, which is a joint interest, joint policy, joint strategic outlook, etcetera, then we must translate these directions into practical steps and practical achievements. However, I do understand there is a great deal of questioning about Saudi Arabia in the Congress.

In September I presented a copy of my credentials to the Secretary of State and that way I became official. After that, and before presenting them to the President in December, one of the issues in Congress was the hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee headed by Senator [Arlen] Specter. The title of the hearing was "Saudi Arabia, Friend or Foe."

Frankly, I thought that was a bit insulting to Saudi Arabians because we have never been a foe of the United States. On the contrary, in the last 60 years or more we have always considered ourselves to be a good friend of the United States and felt that the US looked upon us as a good friend.

We stood with the US in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s when there was a Cold War as very firm allies in the fight against Communism. We carried out responsibilities in our part of the world. We felt we could be helpful in that fight and spent much time and energy and money and sometimes even human life in the fight against Communism.

The 80s and the 90s were a time of changes when the Soviet Union was disappearing and we consistently remained a strategic ally of the United States despite the differences that we may have had. And we had important differences like on Palestine. But even there we agreed with the United States that the strategic aim of both countries was to reach a peaceful solution to Palestine and the issue of the conflict between Israel and the Arabs.

It was Saudi Arabia that led the Arab world with the Fahd Peace Plan in 1981. That for the first time presented an arrangement for all the Arab countries to recognize the existence of Israel. More recently the Abdullah Peace Plan which was more specific and more detailed. It calls not just for Israeli withdrawal from occupied Arab territories, including Jerusalem but also for total recognition of Israel by the Arab states and normalization of relations. And this policy of making peace with Israel that Saudi Arabia spearheaded has now become the policy of all of the Arab countries. The Arab countries in the annual Arab summits have committed to it.

So this hearing about Saudi Arabia as a foe to the United States clearly indicated that there was a great deal of ignorance about the role of Saudi Arabia. One of the first senators that I met when I came hear was Senator Specter. I went and called on him. We talked about what his concerns were, which he had expressed in that hearing. They were mainly about education and the direction of religion in Saudi Arabia and so on. Hopefully I have reached with the senator a respectful friendship, if you like, where I can supply him with information that he requires. He doesn't have to search for an interlocutor when he has concerns or questions to ask. He knows that I am here and that I am available as are members of the embassy and my staff. So developing relationships is very important. That is just one example of what I am trying to do. There are others in the Congress, both houses, that I have met and that I am in the process of meeting.

On the acquisition of leases to terminals in some American seaports by a company in Dubai, Prince Turki said: I tell my American interlocutors that it would be amiss for me to comment on the deal between America and the UAE. But one thing I found is that in the debate on the issue, at the beginning, there was an attempt to make it into almost a racial issue and the President put a stop to that. He came out forcefully, which we are very grateful for. He said we cannot deal with this as an Arab issue or a British issue or a Chinese issue. So he took it off the table as a racial issue, which was very courageous of him and we are much gratified by that. He is that kind of man to step forward and take a position clearly that people know where he stands and that he stood very forthrightly on that issue. So it is now a question for your government on issues of security and procedure and economic welfare and things like that.

In comments on an article published in the Los Angeles Times saying that Saudi Arabia had done well in fighting terrorism inside its borders but needed to do more in the global war on terror. Prince Turki said he thought, that was reflective of several things. First of all it was reflective of ignorance on what Saudi Arabia and the United States have been doing together. Secondly it was, the way it was framed, it seemed to have an intention of attempting to affect a very positive step that was taking place at the time. The article came, I think, two days before Vice President Cheney arrived in Saudi Arabia. The reporter quoted from statements that had been made a year or year and a half earlier. And it selectively quoted from a Treasury Department official's comments. The vice president was coming to Saudi Arabia. If the United States government had any questions or concerns about Saudi Arabia's role, its efforts and cooperation he should have discussed that with the King directly. Why would a government official put it in an article before the Vice President comes? So it gave the impression that it was an attempt by somebody, we don't know who, to put some kind of a wedge between us before Mr. Cheney came to the Kingdom. Of course, it didn't succeed. The Vice President had a very good visit with the King and things moved on from there.

But the media of course, is.. ..another of the briefs I have here, along with the Congress and the American people, is to engage with the media and to tell them the embassy is at their service. They don't need to depend on so-called anonymous sources or unmentioned government officials. If they want they can come down directly to me and get the information. We will tell it to them on the record. We have no problem with that.

On the coordination and cooperation in the war on terror Prince Turki said the relationship is very good and it is not only a result of September 11. I was Director of Intelligence in Saudi Arabia for 24 years, and the five years before that I worked in the intelligence field as a liaison with foreign intelligence services including the CIA. So from the very first day I took up my post in 1973 I was dealing with US intelligence departments on the exchange of informationSo the issue of terrorism with us is a long lived one and not a newly experienced one as some would have you believe, particularly in the West. And all of those years since 1973 when I first started working, until 2001 when I left my job in the intelligence field the cooperation with the United States was the ultimate -- in the exchange of information, training, joint operations, you name it...

On the other hand a 15-member delegation headed by Prince Turki Ibn Nasser, chairman of the Presidency of Meteorological and Environmental Protection, left for Brazil to attend the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Curitiba.

The delegation includes Abdul Aziz Abu Zinada, secretary-general of the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development, and senior officials from King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology and the Ministry of Agriculture.

Signed by 150 government leaders at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the Convention on Biological Diversity is dedicated to promoting sustainable development.

"The focus of the meeting on the dry land biodiversity is of particular interest to the Kingdom," said Prince Turki prior to his departure. He said the Kingdom would support the implementation of the arid land biodiversity program of the convention.

"The Saudi islands, both in the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf, are of strategic importance in terms of biodiversity, and we place special emphasis on their conservation and development," Abu Zinada said. "It is our fervent hope that the program for sustainable development on these islands will draw adequate funding from the convention for its successful implementation," he said.

Meantime Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, concluded his three days long official contacts in London.

On the 9th and 10th of March, the Secretary General was received by the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles and met with the Home Secretary, Mr. Charles Clarke, as well as Sir Nigel Sheinwald, Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister. He also had the chance of meeting the representatives of the British Moslem community and addressing international Media at a press conference held at the Foreign Press Association in London.

The OIC Secretary General was accorded warm welcome during his official contacts in London. They were conducted in a positive and constructive atmosphere and provided the opportunity to discuss important international and regional issues including the recent caricatures crisis and developments in Palestine and Iraq, in addition to the ways and means of increasing the cooperation between the OIC and the UK Government in all relevant issues.

The OIC Secretary General in his meetings with the British officials and the Representatives of the British Moslems highlighted the important role the British Moslems are playing in the political, economic, social, cultural and academic fields in the UK and praised the positive approaches of the British Government in promoting this role by developing an exemplary model.

The visit of the OIC Secretary General to London which constituted a first, is considered beneficial in activating and forging mutually beneficial ties with an important State of the Western world and a new step in the development of the OIC General Secretariat's ties with all the Moslem communities in the West.

The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has started his official contacts in London by meeting Mr. Jack Straw, British Foreign Secretary.

Important regional and international developments as well as the ways of further developing ties of cooperation between the OIC and the United Kingdom as well as between the OIC and the European Union were taken up during the meeting.

At the end of the meeting the following statement was released:

The Joint Statement said: Our discussions this afternoon focused on the great challenges facing the international community. Recent events, such as the tsunami in Asia, Pakistan earthquake, the cartoons issue and acts of terrorism show that countries and societies are more closely interconnected than ever before. The need to enhance cooperation and deepen understanding between peoples, cultures and faiths has never been more important than present.

We deeply regret the publication of insensitive and disrespectful cartoons of Prophet Mohammed in some European newspapers which has caused hurt and resentment all over the Muslim world. However, the violence that has surrounded their republication is unacceptable. We welcome the many efforts to promote dialogue and understanding as the way forward.

We agreed that the way to address the range of issues that face us is by working in partnership with both governments and communities. Our response to those who seek to sow division should be to strengthen and emphasise the common ground between us and support those working to uphold the principles of democracy, human rights, mutual tolerance and respect.

While we need more dialogue and increased efforts to resolve political issues of concern to us all, we agreed there was no issue that justified the use of violence or terrorism. Terrorism is anathema to all faiths and human values, and has no legitimacy in the eyes of the civilised world. We agreed to work together to prevent extremism wherever it occurs. We encourage a united response by all those with influence to confront terrorists and undermine their destructive invective and propaganda.

In this regard the Foreign Secretary welcomes the conclusions of the OIC Extraordinary Summit in December 2005 and its call for the mainstream within Islam to speak out against extremism and to promote political and socio-economic development. He supports the efforts of Muslim leaders and civil society to advance this agenda and encourages greater engagement between Muslims of Europe and the wider Muslim world, and between Muslim and non-Muslim communities. For his part, the Secretary-General welcomes the developing partnership between the Government and British Muslims domestically and their engagement with the wider Muslim world.

We exchanged views on the situation and important developments in the Middle East, including the Palestinian elections. We emphasised the importance of continuing the Middle East peace efforts, especially by the Quartet, and to all parties fulfilling their Road Map obligations and achieving a lasting, just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

We also discussed the situation in Iraq. We condemn sectarian violence and welcome the efforts of Iraqi leaders from all communities to prevent it. We support the vast majority of Iraqis who reject terrorism and are working for a democratic, stable and inclusive Iraq. We look forward to the rapid formation of an inclusive government which can get down to the vital business of providing for the Iraqi people law and order, functioning services and continued reform of the economy.

In conclusion, we have decided to continue our contacts with a view to further develop our bilateral cooperation as well as to establish mutually beneficial and practical relations between the OIC and the European Union.

In Tunisia the Secretary General of the Arab Interior Ministers Council Dr. Mohammed bin Ali Koman lauded his meeting with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz and expressed his honour for meeting the King in the company of Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of the Interior.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz had received at his office at the Royal Court at Al Yamamah palace in Riyadh Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Interior, accompanied by the Secretary General of the Arab Interior Ministers Council Dr. Mohammed bin Ali Koman.

At the outset of the meeting, King Abdullah congratulated Koman on assuming office as the council's Secretary General.

Then the King received a memorial gift from Prince Naif forwarded to him by the Arab Interior Ministers Council in recognition of the monarch's continual support for the council and the contribution of the Kingdom to building the council's headquarters. The audience was attended by a number of princes.

The Secretary General praise the efforts of the Kingdom which led to the success of the Arab Interior Ministers Council.

On another scale the Russian Consul General has paid a visit to the Assistant Secretary General of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) and asked for help in educating Russian Muslim youth. He said his country calls for coexistence between religions and stressed the condemnation of President Putin for the caricatures depicting Prophet Mohammed Peace Be Upon Him.

The Consul General stressed that Russia is very keen to enhance bilateral relations with the Kingdom and that those relations go back to 1928 when the Soviet Union was the first country to recognize the Kingdom after its unification.