Earlier this month Prince Turki al-Faisal talked to CNN's Wolf Blitzer about a number of issues of the day including the cartoon controversy, the tragic loss of a ferry sailing from Saudi Arabia to Egypt and other concerns shared by Americans and Saudi Arabians. This week Prince Turki returned to American television, this time on Public Broadcasting's Charlie Rose interview show. It was just one of a number of recent public appearances that permitted him to, as he put it, "try to explain what Saudi Arabia is, where it comes from and where it is going." [Check the SUSRIS.org web site for transcripts of other public remarks.]

SUSRIS is pleased to present a transcript of Charlie Rose's interview with Prince Turki.  The broadcast originally aired February 13, 2006. The ambassador discussed the bilateral relationship, Saudi Arabia's role in the production of much of the world's energy supplies (Part 1), developments in Iraq and Iran, the partnership between the US and Saudi Arabia in the war on terror (Part 2) and the situation between Palestinians and Israelis (Part 3). It is presented in three sections due to its length.

Prince Turki Al-Faisal was appointed Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the United States in July 2005. He presented his credentials to President George Bush in Washington on December 2, 2005. He succeeded Prince Bandar bin Sultan who served as Saudi Ambassador in Washington from 1983 to 2005. Prince Turki attended Georgetown University in Washington. He 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 appointed Ambassador of to the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. 

Prince Turki al-Faisal Talks With Charlie Rose
The Charlie Rose Show - PBS
February 13, 2006 - Part 3

ROSE: You and everyone else talks about the centrality of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

PRINCE TURKI: Very much so. 

ROSE: To the problems in the Middle East. 

PRINCE TURKI: Yes. 

ROSE: So what do you make of the election of Hamas to leadership in the legislature in the Palestinian territory? 

PRINCE TURKI: I think there were two reasons why Hamas has come to be what it has come to be. Definitely what has been discussed by everybody, including your government, is the fact that the previous government was not so efficient in meeting the requirements and the needs of the Palestinian people. 

ROSE: And some history of corruption inside the administrations. 

PRINCE TURKI: Absolutely. Whatever the reasons were..

ROSE: Perception on the part of the people on the ground...

PRINCE TURKI: .. for that inefficiency.

ROSE: Palestinians.

PRINCE TURKI: Another factor, of course, within that framework of the lack of viability of the previous government was the infighting that took place between Fatah factions themselves in promoting different candidates and so on. So they split the vote, as it were, to the benefit of Hamas. 

The other factor, I�m sure, and nobody talks much about it, is the effect of the occupation on the people of Palestine. The occupation has been there 50 years or something like that. Now, the -- nobody could have asked for a more tailor-made individual to make peace and a two-state solution than Mr. Mahmoud Abbas. As a Palestinian, he was one of the few who stood up when Abu Ammar was still alive, and he stood up against the armed struggle. He said we should have a civil struggle against the Israelis, but not an armed struggle. 

He was second in command of Fatah, which had historically been the leader of the Palestinian people and so on. He was willing to deal with the Israelis on all of the issues of security and other matters if they would allow him. But he got nothing in return. 

ROSE: From the Israelis? 

PRINCE TURKI: From the Israelis, or even..

ROSE: From the U.S.?

PRINCE TURKI: .. how do you say, from the world community. 

ROSE: Including Saudi Arabia and the Arab neighbors? 

PRINCE TURKI: Everybody. And it wasn�t just a question of money, but it was a question of showing the Palestinian people that he could do something for them. 

ROSE: So the whole world failed? 

PRINCE TURKI: Palestinian prisoners still remained in jail, in Israeli jails. Roadblocks still prevent Palestinians from going to... 

ROSE: Some of those prisoners, Israelis want to point out, are there because of suicide bombings and other things. 

PRINCE TURKI: Well, some. What about the others? They could have released them. In other words, something to give him to show his people that he was getting something out of the peace process, which has not happened. 

ROSE: So the world community failed to give him support, and so therefore the perception within the Palestinian population was that Fatah couldn�t do anything, that the Palestinian Authority couldn�t do anything, and therefore they were looking for an alternative, out of desperation? 

PRINCE TURKI: When people are desperate, they turn to maximalists. 

ROSE: So what should be the policy today towards Hamas? Should the Israelis talk to them? Should the United States talk to them? Is that your recommendation to the American government, give them aid and talk to them? 

PRINCE TURKI: What we have done is King Abdullah, on a visit, state visit to Pakistan -- this was just after the elections in Palestine were over and it was apparent that Hamas had acquired the majority of the votes there. He and President Musharraf -- King Abdullah and President Musharraf called on the leadership in Palestine, that means Hamas, to take into account the vital interests of the Palestinian people, the fact that the Palestinian Authority is committed to three important issues. 

One, the Oslo agreements, which makes up the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority and has given it the recognition of the world community. Second is the Abdullah peace plan, which calls for a two-state solution. Israeli withdrawal from Arab land in return for..

ROSE: Recognition of Israel.

PRINCE TURKI: .. recognition. Not just by the Palestinians, by all the Arab countries. And thirdly, the road map, which is also -- which also calls for a two-state solution, but it has a procedural process to reach that two-state solution. So we have asked Hamas and the leadership in Palestine to take these things into consideration. 

ROSE: Have you -- and so therefore I assume from that you�re asking them also to accept the reality and the existence and the peaceful security of Israel...

PRINCE TURKI: Absolutely.

ROSE: .. and Israel�s right to exist, because that goes against, and they have refused to change that principle of their organization, which is Israel has no right to exist as a separate state on this land. 

PRINCE TURKI: Right, yes. This is where the crux of the matter is. We would like to see the Palestinian Authority continue as a representative of the Palestinian people. We would like the get our aid to the Palestinian people to reach the Palestinian people, and not be interfered with or prevented by the fact that an official belongs to Hamas or does not. 

The negotiations within the Palestinian community now are taking place with these issues in mind, and I think we are still premature in trying to judge where that is going to go. I think the Palestinians are now waiting for the Israeli elections to be finished in March, and to see who is their interlocutor after that. My concern and I think the concern of many in the area is that people like the prime minister of Israel today, as he has announced already, the interim prime minister.. 

ROSE: Ehud Olmert. 

PRINCE TURKI: Ehud Olmert, is that he will go unilateral, like his predecessor. Mr. Sharon went unilaterally in Gaza, and establish..

ROSE: Because he said, you know..

PRINCE TURKI: Because now he says he has..

ROSE: Nobody to bargain with. 

PRINCE TURKI: .. nobody to bargain with.

ROSE: That will be a disaster in your judgment? 

PRINCE TURKI: I think so. In the final analysis, the people of Palestine must have a say and a role in deciding their future. 

ROSE: And what would you like the United States to do? 

PRINCE TURKI: I think the United States..

ROSE: Encourage the Israelis to do just that? Not that? 

PRINCE TURKI: Not just the Israelis, but the whole world community has to come forward and convince the Palestinian people that their best interest lies in not changing course from the peace process to a course that nobody knows where it�s going to take them. 

ROSE: And change whatever principles they had before as operative? 

PRINCE TURKI: Because the commitment to these principles make up the legitimacy of their government. 

ROSE: Do you expect you�ll see it? 

PRINCE TURKI: I�m always optimistic. 

ROSE: Finally, there is this issue -- I�m over time here -- democracy has been a central point of this president -- he almost wants to be defined by two things: One, Iraq, which he says an element to create democracy was part of it, and democracy in the Middle East. He believes that democracy in the Middle East will somehow make a difference. 

PRINCE TURKI: Yes.

ROSE: How does that sit with you? 

PRINCE TURKI: It�s laudable. 

ROSE: But? 

PRINCE TURKI: That someone would have such strong convictions about a system of government that has served his people so well for so long, and in my view, American democracy is still a work in progress. You may see the interaction between the various arms of government, whether the executive, the legislative and the judiciary are still operating. And if you like struggling to formulate a more perfect union for the United States, and what we would ask of our American friends is that they would allow us our chance to develop our own system of government. Call it democracy, call it whatever it is. I think a rose by any other name would smell as sweet in this case. But we have our own traditions and our own history and our own practices..

ROSE: But is there...

PRINCE TURKI: ... that we would like to move forward with them. And we�re already doing that. We�re moving forward. We�re not going back. 

ROSE: Having to do with women and a whole range of issues? 

PRINCE TURKI: Everything. The women particularly today, for example, they�re being elected to various institutions in Saudi Arabia. The Chamber of Commerce has had elections where women were elected. The Journalists Association has had women elected. The Engineers Association has had women elected. In the next round of election in three years` time, universal suffrage will be standard and not an exception. 

All of these are being developed. The most prized women today in Saudi Arabia is a woman with a job, because she brings an income to the household. She�s sought after by suitors, by her siblings and her parents and so on. So all of that has changed within the kingdom, without religious fatwa and without government decree. 

ROSE: But at the same time, the 6,000 members of the royal family have 90 percent of the power in Saudi Arabia. 

PRINCE TURKI: I wouldn�t say 90 percent of the power. 

ROSE: What would you say? 

PRINCE TURKI: I would say that we have a responsibility as a family to serve the people, and that responsibility has not risen out of recent history. It goes back nearly 300 years, that the Al-Sauds have tried to be of service to the general public in Saudi Arabia. 

We believe that with the support of the Saudi people, that we can achieve a lot for not just the people of Saudi Arabia, but for the Arab and Muslim community, as well. And we have been able to maintain a very stable and a very forward-looking, if you like, society that has moved forward in the past 60 years to where we are today. And hopefully, in the next few years, we will move further on. 

ROSE: Two things I would like to do as I say goodbye. One, is go to Saudi Arabia and talk about some of these issues there. 

PRINCE TURKI: Please do. 

ROSE: At your kind invitation already. And two, speak to you soon again when you can talk about the Iranian issue, which many people believe is of great significance at this time in terms of the world. 

PRINCE TURKI: Absolutely. I�m not trying to duck the issue, but as you can imagine, already much has been said by Saudi Arabia on that issue, if you look back on what the foreign minister said, etcetera, and just refer to it if you want to refer to that. But I will meet with you again, insh�allah, and talk about anything that you want to talk about. 

ROSE: Thank you for coming. 

PRINCE TURKI: Thank you, sir. 

ROSE: Pleasure to have you on this program. 

PRINCE TURKI: Well, thank you very much. 

ROSE: Ambassador Turki Al-Faisal from the government of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, their ambassador to Washington. Thank you for joining us. See you next time.

Source: SaudiEmbassy.net

Prince Turki al-Faisal Talks With Charlie Rose
The Charlie Rose Show - PBS
February 13, 2006

• Part 1 - Relations, Oil

• Part 2 - Iraq, Iran, War on Terror

• Part 3 - Middle East Peace

• Issues of the Day: Saudi Ambassador to the US On Sunday Talk Show - SUSRIS IOI - Feb. 6, 2006

• Community and Cooperation - Prince Turki Al-Faisal - SUSRIS IOI - December 2, 2005

• The Global Scourge of Terrorism: Ambassador Prince Turki al Faisal Shares His Outlook - SUSRIS Item of Interest - Nov. 8, 2005

• Prince Turki Al-Faisal's Views on Terrorist Attacks and Bin Laden - SUSRIS IOI - Dec. 7, 2004

• Saudi ambassador�s credentials accepted by United States

• Transcript of interview with Prince Turki Al-Faisal in the New York Times Magazine

• Prince Turki Al-Faisal interviewed on CNN�s �Wolf Blitzer reports�

• The Charlie Rose Show

About Prince Turki al Faisal

• Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia Bio

• BBC Profile

• Global Security.org