Newsletter - July 25-31, 2005 - #119

In This Issue

2. Conference Announcement - 14th Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference - Sep 11-12 - Washington, DC
3. Conference Announcement - US-Arab Economic Forum - Sep 14-16 - Houston, TX  
4. In the News - Snapshots
5. What is SUSRIS?

King Fahd Passes Away
Arab News

RIYADH, 1 August 2005 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd died today following an illness, the Royal Court announced. Crown Prince Abdullah has been named the new king while Prince Sultan has been elected the crown prince, it added.

“With deep sorrow and pain, the royal court... mourns the death of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd,” said an official statement read out on state television by Culture and Information Minister Iyad Madani.

“The royal family members have acknowledged Crown Prince Abdullah as the king of the country .. after which Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the king of Saudi Arabia King Abdullah chose Prince Sultan as crown prince and the family members acknowledged that,” the statement said.

Saudi citizens will start pledging their allegiance to King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan at the Government Palace in Riyadh on Wednesday afternoon, the statement said. Funeral Prayer for the late king will be held at Imam Turki ibn Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh tomorrow after Asr prayers.

King Fahd ascended the throne of Saudi Arabia in June 1982, at the height of the country’s economic boom, and during his 23-year rule the Kingdom witnessed tremendous progress in political, economic, educational and social areas.

Reprinted with permission.

The National Council on US-Arab Relations announces:

14th Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference
"Restoring Arab-U.S. Trust in a Time of Turbulence and Reforms"

September 11-12, 2005
Marriott-Wardman Hotel, Washington, D.C. 

For information regarding conference registration and corporate as well as institutional cosponsorship, contact: Ms. Jennifer Sewell or Mr. Shawn Romer, Conference Coordinators: 202-293-6466; fax: 202-293-7770; email: [email protected]

For confirmed speakers list..

US Arab Economic Forum
Focus on Business as Instrument of Change
Fortune 500, SM/MED Businesses, US/Arab Gov. Officials Gather in Houston

July 11, Detroit - More than 1,500 American and Arab business leaders will gather in Houston September 14-16 for the 2005 U.S. Arab Economic Forum.  Supported by the U.S. Departments of State and Commerce, the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council, and organized by the American Middle-East Economic Affairs Committee (AMEAC), the Forum will focus on improving economic ties and economic development as a source of societal change.

Participants will hear from the Chairs of ExxonMobil, Chevron Corp., ConocoPhillips, Marathon Oil, Cisco Systems, Medialink, and PriceWaterhouseCoopers as well as the Energy Ministers from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.  

Among the many topics tackled at the Forum, transparency and accountability, human capacity building, trade infrastructure, public-private partnerships and empowering women through economics will take center stage.  

Other confirmed speakers include: Arab League Secretary General Amre Moussa, Saudi Minister of State Abdullah Alireza, USAID Director Andrew Natsios, bestselling author Dr. Deepak Chopra, Houston Mayor Bill White, Baker Institute Director Amb. Edward Djerejian, Harvard Business Review Editor Thomas Stewart, Arab International Women's Forum Chair Haifa Al Kaylani, Timberland CEO Jeff Swartz, Link Group CEO Nijad Fares, Ghandi Institute Chair Arun Ghandi, MD Anderson Cancer Center President Dr. John Mendelsohn and BBC Global News Director Richard Sambrook.    

Forum proceedings are open to the media.  Members of the working press may register and get more information at  http://www.usaeforum.org  or contact Jennifer Salan 202-494-9857 [email protected] .

WHAT: U.S. Arab Economic Forum

WHERE: Houston, Texas, Hilton Americas

WHEN:  September 14-16, 2005

REGISTRATION/INFORMATION: http://www.usaeforum.org

In the News

Saudis to Have Visa on Arrival in Indonesia From Aug. 1
”Indonesia has announced its decision to grant visa-on-arrival to Saudi nationals from Aug. 1 in a renewed bid to boost tourism and business links between the two countries. The announcement was made on Saturday by the Indonesian Embassy following an official communication received by the mission from Jakarta in this regard..”

Citizens Help Police Nab Top Terrorist
”Security forces yesterday arrested four terror suspects, one of whom figured on a list of 36 wanted militants announced by the authorities in June. An Interior Ministry statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency said Muhammad ibn Saeed Al-Siyam Al-Amri, 25, was arrested in Madinah after a tip-off from citizens. Two of his associates were also arrested.. ..The ministry offered rewards of up to SR7 million ($1.87 million) to anyone who helped capture any of the men or foil a planned attack..”

Naif to Initiate Security Talks With Tehran
”Acting Minister of Culture and Information Abdul Mohsen Al-Akkas told the Saudi Press Agency that the Cabinet authorized Interior Minister Prince Naif to initiate talks with Iran for the conclusion of a bilateral security agreement that would allow the extradition of suspects and convicted individuals from the two countries. Prince Naif had requested the Council of Ministers to authorize him to initiate talks with the Iranian side to prepare a draft agreement on bilateral security between Saudi Arabia and Iran and submit the final copy to the Cabinet for approval..”

U.S. Bans Travel in Saudi for Military Personnel
”The United States imposed a travel ban on military personnel in Saudi Arabia on Monday in response to what it said were continued signs that militants could be preparing attacks.. ..’In response to continued indications of operational planning for a terrorist attack or attacks in the kingdom, U.S. military personnel stationed in Saudi Arabia have been instructed to suspend all non-duty-related leisure travel outside of their work or housing,’ an embassy spokesman said..”

Embassy in Saudi Arabia Warns Americans
”The U.S. Embassy warned Americans in Saudi Arabia on [Jul 25] that militants are likely plotting new terror attacks in the kingdom. The embassy's message, posted on its Web site, said there were "continued indications of operational planning for a terrorist attack or attacks" in Saudi Arabia. It offered no specific information.. ..It was the second such warning posted in the past week by the embassy in Riyadh..”

Saudi Arabia Tops GCC Countries In Card Usage
”Saudi Arabia leads the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in the usage of credit and debit cards and has overtaken ATM withdrawals in some parts of the region, according to a survey.. ..The survey pointed out that shopping spend during the year ended March 2005 passed the $10.5 billion mark, growing from the previous year by 32 per cent. Saudi cardholders, who continue to be the region's largest users of non-cash payments, generate more than one-third of this expenditure..”

Q2 2005 Investments In Saudi Arabia Up 4,596 Per Cent (46-Fold)
”The Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) has published its second quarter (Q2) 2005 results for investments in the country reflecting a record 4,596 per cent increase in licensed investments' value, a 46-fold increase compared with the same period from 2004.. .. Previously cited numbers on FDI in Saudi Arabia were inaccurate; field data proved real numbers were three times as previously thought, a positive indicator that will improve the ranking of Saudi Arabia's investment competitiveness..”

Saudi Arabia: Court Confirms Jail for Reformers
”The confirmation of harsh prison sentences against three Saudi advocates of peaceful reform will chill Saudi Arabia's reform movement, Human Rights Watch said today. Only a royal pardon can free the reformists now. An appellate court in Riyadh upheld the lengthy prison sentences in a decision verbally communicated to their legal representatives on July 23.. ..The three men were among 12 petitioners arrested in March 2004. Over the following weeks, Saudi security forces pressured the detainees to sign a pledge to stop all future political petition activity in return for their release. The government released the nine detainees who signed the pledge, but continued with its prosecution of 'Ali al-Dumaini, Dr. Matruk al-Falih and Dr. Abdullah al-Hamid because they refused..”

US Delegation to Visit Kingdom to Discuss Detainee Issues
”A US delegation will visit Saudi Arabia within a week to discuss the repatriation of Saudi detainees to the Kingdom, said a US Embassy spokesman here [Jul 27].. ..Andrew Mitchell, press attaché at the US Embassy in Riyadh, said a US delegation led by Pierre-Richard Prosper, ambassador-at-large at the Office of War Crimes Issues, would be coming to Saudi Arabia within a week or so ‘to discuss the detainee issues’. Although confirming the arrival of this important American delegation Mitchell did not give specific date about the visit ‘for security reasons’..”

Louvre Gets $20 Million for New Islamic Wing
”In the largest gift ever to the world's largest museum, a Saudi prince agreed on Tuesday to donate $20 million to the construction of a wing for the Louvre's vast collection of Islamic art. With considerable fanfare, the prince, Walid bin Talal, signed a donation agreement.. ..The gift reflects France's complex relations with the Islamic world and a widening belief here that after 9/11, an increased appreciation of Islamic art can help bridge a cultural divide..”

Ambassador With Portfolio
”Last week's announcement that Prince Turki al-Faisal, former chief of Saudi intelligence and the current Saudi ambassador in London, will replace the long-serving Prince Bandar bin Sultan as ambassador in Washington provides the United States with an opening to restore its strategic partnership with Riyadh.. .. Prince Turki, brother to the Saudi foreign minister and a close ally of their uncle, the moderately reformist Crown Prince Abdullah, could also be an important channel for reinvigorating our larger strategic partnership. Not only does the war on terrorism demand our utmost efforts, but energy security is rapidly emerging alongside it as one of the key strategic challenges in the first quarter of the 21st century..”

Screening of Saudis Lax: Congressional Report
”..Despite a vote by the US Senate [Jul 29] to make virtually all the main provisions of the USA Patriot Act permanent, the Homeland Security Department has come under attack for allegedly inadequately screening Saudis for terrorism-related risks when they seek entry into the United States.. .. congressional investigators issued a report prepared by the US Government Accountability Office (the GAO is the investigative arm of Congress), stating the department’s visa security officers, stationed in Riyadh and Jeddah, do not compile comprehensive evidence of their security checks..”

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