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May 05, 2006
Ambassador Prince Turki al Faisal Speaks at The Fletcher School About Saudi-US Relations and the Kingdom’s Role In Building Middle East Peace
“We are now moving to link our horizons to look beyond our limited individual vantages, not only for our own betterment, but also for that of our neighbors,” Prince Turki al Faisal, the ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the US, told a packed audience at The Fletcher School on April 27.
Speaking on the topic of “US – Saudi Relations Post 9-11,” he laid out his vision for a partnership between the two countries, built both at the official level and also between the two peoples.
“The terrorists of 9/11 not only tried to destroy monuments in America, but also tried to destroy the US – Saudi alliance. But they could not drive a wedge between us. Their actions brought us together as never before, as we rally to defeat our common enemy,” he said.
Prince Turki then outlined the many levels on which the Saudi government is working to build a stronger partnership between the two countries. “Although the partnership between the US and Saudi Arabia is an agreement between states, it must be supported at the most basic levels,” he explained.
Ambassador Prince Turki al Faisal
At the official level, “(T)he strategic dialogue will have meetings between US and Saudi foreign ministers every six months, which will be open for candid conversation and discussion, as well as subcommittees dealing with other issues,” the ambassador said. The two sides are working together on many key issues, he said. “We cooperate to build a unified, stable Iraq and stable energy markets.”
Prince Turki also discussed the importance of developing “international interpersonal relationships. He pointed to the friendly rapport between King Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud and Franklin Roosevelt. However, he said their relationship also underlined the danger in making diplomacy based only on the relationships between leading politicians. “The Saudis and the Americans first discussed the question of Palestine during their time. However their understanding and progress broke down after Roosevelt’s death,” he said.
To overcome this problem, Saudi Arabia wants to extend this partnership beyond official circles. According to Prince Turki, the two countries “need to start dialogue to transcend the ephemeral nature of individual friendships. Solutions need to remain in place for as long as it takes.”
“We need to enhance the fundamental part of our relationship - our interpersonal relationships,” Prince Turki said, “If the strategic dialogue is to be successful it must be accompanied by a dialogue among people.”
“Our government has launched a program to send thousands of students to universities overseas, largely in the US, to develop friendship and breakdown barriers,” he said.
His speech was followed by a long question and answer session, where the ambassador explained Saudi policy on a range of timely and controversial issues in the Middle East and beyond.
Prince Turki refuted claims that the Saudi government was providing support to Hamas, saying, “(T)he kingdom has always extended its support to the Palestinian people, regardless of the specific party in power. We used to provide money to the government of the PLO, and since the election of Hamas, we have called for them to recognize the Oslo accords. Our money goes to the Palestinian Authority through recognized institutions. The Hamas foreign minister who said Saudi Arabia would provide $80 million to Hamas was either misquoted or misinformed.”
On the issue of Iran’s nuclear program, Prince Turki connected the issue to the larger question of security in the region, saying, “We call for all countries in the Middle East to be rid of weapons of mass destruction, and not just nuclear weapons.”
“We don’t think that sanctions would be the most effective way to resolve this problem. We saw that in Iraq, they mainly brought suffering to the people. However, we would adhere to any UN resolution on the issue,” he explained.
The ambassador was asked about the role that Saudi Arabia could play in resolving the conflict in Darfur, since it is one of Sudan’s largest trading partners. He explained his country’s humanitarian and diplomatic initiatives, saying, “The kingdom has been sending weekly flights [with goods] to support the people in Darfur, and in our talks with Khartoum, we have urged an end to the conflict. Saudi Arabia will also play it role in supporting African Union troops in the Sudan.”
By Charles De Simone, MALD 2007
Posted by fletcher at May 5, 2006 12:08 PM
