Editor's Note
In the SUSRIS conversation with
Prince Turki al Faisal, while he was serving
as Ambassador to the United States, he referred to his
mission as the Kingdom's top diplomat in America as
including reaching out to Americans and to Congress.
He told SUSRIS on March 2, 2006, "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."
Prince Turki suggested he had tough work ahead in
establishing a dialogue with the US Congress when he
discussed events on Capitol Hill, "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 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."
One of the hallmarks of his term was the ambitious
travel program that brought him to campuses, civic clubs
and other venues across the country to talk directly to
Americans about the relationship between the Kingdom and
the United States and developments in Saudi Arabia. He
received high marks for his openness and directness in
tackling tough questions from the people he met.
Two months ago
Prince Turki completed his tenure in Washington
and returned to the Kingdom. Yesterday he spoke frankly
about his experiences in the United States including his
views on the U.S. Congress, the media and building
dialogue with Americans in the 25 states he visited in
about 18 months. Raid Qusti of Arab News reported
on Prince Turki's remarks at the "Role of Diplomacy in
Political Crises" symposium hosted by the Saudi
Association for media and Communications in Riyadh.
Congress Center of Anti-Saudi
Hostility, Says Turki
Raid Qusti, Arab News
RIYADH, 11 April 2007 � Prince Turki Al-Faisal, former
Saudi ambassador to the United States, accused the US
Congress of being �the center of hostility� in America
toward Saudi Arabia.
�The reasons for that are many, the first of which is
the Zionist lobby in the United States,� Prince Turki
said at a symposium entitled �The Role of Diplomacy in
Political Crises,� organized by the Saudi Association
for Media and Communications here yesterday.
He said that the lobby was powerful and had a direct
impact on the decisions taken by members of Congress.
�The lobby supports and encourages Congress members to
take hostile stances toward Saudi Arabia,� he said.
Prince Turki said that before Sept. 11, 2001, public
surveys showed that 45 percent of Americans believed
that the Kingdom was a friendly nation. �After it was
announced that 15 of the 19 hijackers who took part in
the attacks were Saudi, public surveys showed that 60
percent believed that Saudi Arabia was a hostile
country,� he said.
The former ambassador said he believed the best way to
reach the American people was through mainstream
America. Sept. 11, according to the prince, will
continue to have a negative impact on relations between
the two countries for years to come.
�It has left an imprint on relations between the two
countries.. ..On the government level, much has been
done. But on the people-to-people level, there is much
doubt, caution, and fear between the nations,� he said.
Prince Turki believes that overcoming traditional
diplomatic efforts and having direct contact with the
people of any nation, especially the United States, is
the key to success in diplomacy. �Issuing press releases
at times of crises is no longer beneficial. The
ambassador must confront the public, especially in
modern democratic nations.. ..Taking asylum behind
diplomatic gates will no longer do,� he stressed.
Prince Turki said that during his term in the United
States, many measures were taken on the government level
to improve relations between the two countries. He
mentioned that among those measures were Saudi
delegations visiting the United States and the holding
of direct talks with their counterparts in America on
the corporate level. Another measure taken by the Saudi
government was to open �its doors all the way� for
American and Western journalists to visit the Kingdom
and see the situation here first hand.
�We fear nothing. We are not closed. And we do not
cocoon ourselves.. ..Unfortunately, after Sept.11 our
traditions, customs, and religion were put under the
spotlight,� he said. He pointed out that the
establishment of the Saudi-US Strategic Committee on the
government level had positive impacts on �sealing many
of the gaps between the two countries.�
Prince Turki noted the importance of reaching to
American hearts and minds on the nongovernment level.
�During my tenure as ambassador, I visited 25 US states
and spoke directly to the American people. I realized
that the majority of them were unaware of the major
topics we discuss here in the Arab world,� he said,
adding that the reason for that was �the biased American
media,� which he believed was blinding the American
people.
�Americans are people of good will. They are tolerant
and are not prejudiced and come from different
backgrounds,� he said, adding that despite their biased
media, the American people have the tendency to search
for the truth and listen to both sides of the story.
Prince Turki said that it was important to cooperate
with Amnesty International despite its hostile reports
about alleged violations of human rights in the Kingdom.
Preliminary approval was given to the human rights body
to visit the Kingdom and preparations are under way for
a future visit, he added.
Source:
Arab News
