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Address to the World Affairs
Council of Kentucky, Louisville
June 7, 2006
Good afternoon. Thank you for the kind
introduction. I truly appreciate the invitation to be here
today by Lonnie and Muhammad Ali. The mission of your
organization is admirable and one that I support greatly.
You have a wonderful staff and many dedicated sponsors.
Michael Fox, thank you for attending. And I appreciate all
of you being here today.
I would also like to thank Mayor Abramson for
being here and for his remarks. And Mr. Omar Ayyash, thank
you for helping to arrange today�s events.
Ladies and gentlemen, I expect you have many
questions for me, so I will be sure to keep my remarks brief.
This is actually my second time here in
Louisville. I was here on the first Saturday in May to
observe the most exciting two minutes in sports. It was
thrilling to watch Barbaro win this year. I was only
saddened to hear of the outcome of the Preakness Stakes. I
am encouraged though by reports that he is recovering and in good
condition following surgery.
As I�m sure all of you know, in Saudi Arabia,
we are equally enamored with horses. The founder of the
modern Saudi state, King Abdulaziz, owned a famous stable, as do
many of his descendants today. The Arabian horse is
cherished in the Kingdom, and throughout the world. In fact,
to protect this breed, for decades now, Saudi Arabia has been
participating in a national program to safeguard the Arabian
horse�s breeding and unique characteristics.
I think we can all agree that it is important
to protect what serves us well � whether it is horses or
relationships. This is a common characteristic among
Americans and Saudis.
I think today, Saudi Arabia and the US are
doing a lot to maintain relations between our governments and our
people. Certainly, we�ve gone through ups and downs.
We�ve gone through difficult periods and easy periods, and I
think it will continue to be this way. But this is the
nature of any relationship, whether between friends or between
countries. Ultimately, we always return to seeing the real
reason why we stick it out with one another: Quite simply, we work
well together.
For more than 60 years we�ve had a mutually
beneficial relationship, and I can say � and I think proudly say
� that it is a relationship not just of oil for security but,
more broadly speaking, a relationship of people to people.
I for one first came to the United States when
I was 14 years old to attend high school. After that I
attended college here. I have had a great deal of exposure
to the US and the American way of life. And this is not
unique to me. Over the years, literally hundreds of thousands of
Saudis have traveled to the United States seeking education or
healthcare, to conduct business, or simply to visit.
The friendships and partnerships that have
formed since well before our governments had official relations
are lasting, because � at the bottom of it � Saudis and
Americans are very similar to each other. We�re
plainspoken and straightforward, and we both believe in the
importance of faith and family. We want the same things for
us and for our children that you do: security, opportunity, good
health and education, and a bright future.
We know that this can be a challenging
proposition for any nation to live up to, so in Saudi Arabia we
have been diligently working for years now to modernize and to
confront head-on the problems that exist within our society.
If you look at the Kingdom today, it is a
country that is moving forward at great speed economically and
socially, and even politically � despite what some might say.
We have over $650 billion worth of investment
opportunities in Saudi Arabia over the next 15 years, and American
business should take advantage of that. In December we
officially joined the World Trade Organization. This is
providing us with great opportunities to increase foreign
investment and to diversify our economy so it will be not so
reliant on oil.
We have also undertaken a strategic multi-year
program to improve the level of education in the Kingdom to be
competitive internationally, and this program is emphasizing
critical thinking and math and science, which are important to
success in the global economy.
Our municipal councils have now all officially
formed and have begun to meet. Members of these councils
were elected to office last spring. This is an important
step as the Saudi people learn how the electoral process works,
and we will continue to expand citizen participation.
These developments, which are only a few of
many, are not just for the Saudi people. We live in a global
community, so if we are to benefit ourselves, we are benefiting
those in the world with whom we interact. And we interact
with the US in particular a great deal. We cooperate with each
other to redefine our relationship as world events evolve.
As ambassador to your great country, I am privileged to contribute
to developing this relationship.
As I was preparing to leave for my new
assignment, I asked King Abdullah how should I deal with President
Bush and the American people? He turned to me without
batting an eye, and he said : �Just be frank with them.�
I am reminded of when I presented Secretary of
State Rice with a copy of my credentials last September. I told
her the story of Winston Churchill being a guest at the White
House during the war years when President Roosevelt wanted to
honor him by putting him up in the White House instead of Blair
House.
One night Mr. Roosevelt wheeled into Mr.
Churchill�s room and found him stark naked. Embarrassed,
he tried to wheel back out but Churchill turned to him and he
said: �Mr. President, the prime minister of England has nothing
to hide from the president of the United States.� And I
did assure the secretary of State that I was not going to come to
her naked on any occasion, but that that is the kind of
relationship Saudi Arabia would like to have with the United
States.
And with that, I will be glad to take any
questions you may have
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