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ITEM OF INTEREST
January 7, 2009

 

Gulf Forum: US-Gulf Relations Post-Election - Prince Turki al-Faisal Critical of US Gaza Stand
 

Editor's Note:

In yesterday's opening of the 6th Gulf Forum, Gulf Research Center Chairman Abdulaziz Sager pointed to the need for a reevaluation of the relationship with the United States from the GCC perspective. Among his key concerns is the U.S. policy on the Arab-Israeli conflict, "which is blindly biased towards Israel, casts its shadow on GCC-U.S. relations and has been embarrassing sometimes to the Arab allies of the U.S." He added, "The new U.S. administration should reconsider the American strategy towards this conflict as it fuels regional tension and extremism." That message was amplified by Saudi Arabia's Prince Turki al-Faisal, former Ambassador to the United States, who blasted the Bush Administration and challenged the Obama Administration to alter US strategy in the region. Today we provide a summary of his presentation at the 2009 Gulf Forum for your consideration as provided by Joe Avancena and Shadid Ali Khan writing for Saudi Gazette. For context on his remarks you may also want to review Prince Turki's op-ed on Middle East Peace from December 26 which appeared as the Gaza crisis began to unfold.

Turki blasts US ‘reckless’ stand 
By Joe Avancena and Shahid Ali Khan

RIYADH – Veteran diplomat Prince Turki Al-Faisal on Tuesday blasted the US government for its “reckless” position towards Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip.

The former ambassador to the United States and Britain, speaking at a three-day forum here on relations between the Gulf region and the US, said in a message directed at President-elect Barack Obama: “The Bush administration has left you (with) a disgusting legacy and a reckless position towards the massacres and bloodshed of innocents in Gaza.”

“Enough is enough, today we are all Palestinians and we seek martyrdom for God and for Palestine, following those who died in Gaza,” he said. Prince Turki also said that Iran is seen as playing a deconstructive role in the region.

Around 100 delegates, including princes, ministers, academicians, policy-makers, ambassadors and journalists from the Gulf states were present at opening of the Sixth Gulf Forum to discuss the future of US-GCC relations under Obama.

US Ambassador Ford M. Fraker and GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiya were also in attendance.

Organized by the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center, the forum is sponsored by Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and being held in cooperation with the Institute for Diplomatic Studies.

Prince Saud slammed Israeli politicians for “shedding Palestinian blood in what has become a tactic for Israeli parties to settle their election battles.”

In an address read out at the forum by his deputy, Nizar O. Madani, who opened the forum, Prince Saud said peace in the region will not be achieved unless Israel pulls out of the territories it occupies.

He called on Obama to live up to his campaign message of “change”, urging cooperation with the Arab world.

“Together we can reach a peaceful and permanent solution for the Arab-Israeli conflict,” he said.

Abdulaziz Al-Saqr, Chairman, Gulf Research Center (GRC), said in his speech that GCC-US relations need to be re-evaluated.

“The post-9/11 anti-terrorism strategy of the US is not achieving its goals – the world has only become increasingly insecure – and, therefore, it should be reconsidered,” he said.

He said the Bush Administration has tarnished America’s image worldwide, including in the Gulf. Refurbishing this image will now require more than public relations campaigns and exchange of ideas, he said. stressing that a positive shift in US strategy on key regional issues is of paramount importance.

Al-Saqr went on to call for more transparency in US relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council states.

GCC states are extremely concerned about the future of Iraq as an Arab state, realizing that a deterioration of the situation in Iraq will have a spillover effect in neighboring countries. 

The new US administration should coordinate with the GCC governments regarding any arrangements in Iraq, he said.

Al-Saqr also voiced Gulf concerns about a pullout of US forces from Iraq, which he said would be catastrophic unless non-sectarian and strong Iraqi armed forces and police force are established, real national reconciliation is reached and reconstruction programs are implemented.

Dr. Saad Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Ammar, director of the Institute for Diplomatic Studies, said the large participation of American and Gulf scholars, researchers, educators, and journalists indicates the sustained importance of the forum to decision makers in both the United States and the GCC. – With AFP 

Source: Saudi Gazette, Jan 7, 2009

About Prince Turki Al Faisal

His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al-Faisal served as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States of America from September 13, 2005 until February 12, 2007. 

Prince Turki was appointed an Advisor in the Royal Court in 1973. From 1977 to 2001, he served as the Director General of the General Intelligence Directorate (GID), the Kingdom’s main foreign intelligence service. In 2002, he was named Ambassador of to the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz. 

His Royal Highness is involved in a number of cultural and social activities. He is one of the founders of the King Faisal Foundation and is the chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh. Prince Turki also serves as a member of the Boards of Trustees of the International Crisis Group and the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies. 

The King Faisal International Prizes, awarded by the King Faisal Foundation, are given to “dedicated men and women whose contributions make a positive difference.” These annual prizes are awarded in five fields of endeavor – Service to Islam, Islamic Studies, Arabic Language and Literature, Science, and Medicine – have been likened, for the Arab and Islamic worlds, as similar in stature to, and nearly as coveted as, the annual Nobel Prizes. The King Faisal International Prizes, in addition to being bestowed upon Arabs and Muslims, have also been granted to outstanding achievers from virtually all corners of the world. 

For more information: www.kff.com ; www.saudiembassy.net  

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