June 18, 2004

IN A LECTURE DELIVERED IN OXFORD. PRINCE TURKI AL-FAISAL: SAUDI SOCIETY IS AWARE OF DEVIATION AND EXTREMISM REPRESENTED BY THE IDEOLOGY OF THE DEVIANT GROUP THAT HAS PERPETRATED VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM. THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA HAS WIPED OUT AND ARRESTED 75 PERCENT OF KNOWN INDIVIDUALS OF THIS DEVIATING GROUP IN THE KINGDOM. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO PROVIDE PROTECTION FOR THE PALESTINIANS AGAINST ISRAELI AGGRESSION. THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ SUFFERED FOR A LONG TIME UNDER SADDAM HUSSEIN'S OPPRESSIVE REGIME. THEY HAVE LONGED FOR STABILITY AND SECURITY AND A PROSPEROUS FUTURE. Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the United Kingdom and Ireland has stressed that the Saudi society is aware of deviation and extremism represented by the ideology of the wicked group that has perpetrated violence and terrorism. In a lecture given in Britain's Oxford city, Prince Turki noted that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has wiped out and arrested 75 percent of known individuals of this deviating group in the Kingdom. Prince Turki affirmed the Kingdom's commitment to the preservation of a balance in the world oil market and the prevention of any obstruction of oil supplies, indicating that the Kingdom believes that stability in the oil market is for the interest of oil exporting and consuming countries. The prince also reviewed the progress witnessed by the kingdom in all fields and the reformist steps taken, citing the address of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz to the Shoura Council in May, last year, as saying that the Kingdom will go ahead on the way of political, economic and governmental reform and the performance of the public sector along with expanding the popular participation in the political process. He pointed out that reform will be in accordance with our own way and without pressure from anyone, noting that the Kingdom adheres to Islam's principles and its regulations are derived from Islamic Sharia. Prince Turki underscored the Kingdom's commitment to peace in the Middle East, the self-determination for the Palestinian people on their land and full sovereignty of the Iraqi people. Following is the text of the lecture: It is a great pleasure to be speaking to such a distinguished audience at this seminar organized by the Oxford Strategic Studies Group. I am going to talk to you today about issues that effect us all - and key in the minds of many today, following the horrific attack in Saudi Arabia at the weekend, will be the issue of terrorism. The international reach of these attacks serves to remind us all that we live in an increasingly complex and interdependent world. As a result many of the challenges we face are global and have a global effect both on stability and economic security. And the evil cancer of terrorism is key amongst them. But news bulletins have been dominated not only by the evil of Al Qaeda but also by the terrible events in Iraq and Palestine and by current fears of an economic crisis if fuel prices rise much further. These are problems that effect us as individuals, as separate nations and as an international community. But first let me turn to the global and regional threat of terrorism: There have always been those who believe in using violence to achieve their aims, and the first few years of this millennium have been scarred by a dramatic increase in the threat posed by international terrorism. This is possibly the most serious threat facing Saudi Arabia and the world. We witnessed to our horror the attack at Al Khobar in which 22 innocent people were killed. This cruel violence goes totally against our Islamic belief in the sanctity of human life. Who are these terrorists? Today terrorism is associated with extreme Muslim fundamentalism. Groups like Al Qaeda caught the world's attention on 9/11. They caught it again with the terrible bombings in Bali, Madrid, Baghdad, Morocco, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The annual Strategic Survey published last week (on the 25th May) by the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London says that there are possibly 18,000 potential Al Qaeda operatives still at work internationally. They warn of further international attacks. If their report is right, then this is frightening news. But I am not convinced they are right. The statistics do not add up. If they were right the international community would be facing attacks on a daily basis. I believe our research which shows that there are far fewer operatives at work in our society. The kind of evil violence they practice does not need or look for the force of an army - it looks to twisting the minds of a few fatalists, preparing and persuading them into these deranged and evil attacks. Thirty Al Qaeda operatives were involved in the attack in Madrid , a violent group of only four armed men carried out the attack at Al Khobar. In all we believe that there are perhaps less than 500 Al Qaeda terrorists in existence in the Kingdom. In fact we believe, despite the recent horrific attacks at Yanbu and Al Khobar, that the threat from Al Qaeda is beginning to reduce. One of our most senior security consultants Nawaf Obaid, has recently reported on an ideological split in al-Qaeda's ranks and the elimination of up to 75 percent of known militants. He pointed out that Saudi Arabia spent some $5.5 billion on security in 2003 - a vast chunk of which was allocated to the protection of oil facilities. Terrorism brings the threat not only of political but also of economic instability. Obaid argues that while the attack against petrochemical facilities in Yanbu highlighted concern over the vulnerability of the kingdom's oil infrastructure, the risk of serious damage to oil production was "very low." He pointed out that the Saudi government had allocated an extra $750 million over the last two years to enhance existing security at its immense oil producing and refining operations around the kingdom. At any one time, there are up to 30,000 guards protecting the Kingdom's oil infrastructure, while high technology surveillance and aircraft patrols are common at the most important facilities and anti-aircraft installations defend key locations. We believe that we are dealing with this problem and will not be deterred from continuing to deal with it. But Saudi Arabia has found itself under attack from both sides. We have been the victim of these terrible terrorist attacks but we have also been wrongly accused of sponsoring and supporting these evil groups. The fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were from Saudi Arabia was a clever ploy by Al Qaeda to drive a wedge between the Kingdom and the West. But it is still a fact that will go down in history books and will haunt us as a nation for decades to come. We would hope the world would get this evil violence in proportion, it is not representative of our society. As Crown Prince Abdullah said when the world tuned into the horrific pictures of American soldiers defiling prisoners at Abu Ghraib and I quote: ""The people who committed these acts at Abu Ghraib are a small group of deviants. I'm absolutely sure... that they do not represent the American people, who have high moral standards. But also understand that the people who committed those terrible acts on September 11 were not representative of the Saudi people. The American people are pure and good, as are the Saudi people. Small groups of deviants do not represent their respective societies." But this small and evil band are creating a strategic nightmare which only gives pleasure to our enemies - those perpetrating these evil deeds. What can we do? Where will they strike next? Who are they? Why have they chosen this mortally devastating path? What motivates them? These are the questions that we ask ourselves daily. We are all alarmed by the unconstrained scope of terrorism today. Let me tell you what we have done. In Saudi Arabia we have clamped down on funding of any unknown person or group, suspect bank accounts have been frozen and new counter terrorism laws enacted. We have actively pursued anyone that we believe has any connection with extremist groups in our society. Since September 11, 2001, Saudi Arabia has questioned more than 1,500 individuals, arrested hundreds of suspects, and succeeded in extraditing Al-Qaeda members from other countries to face justice. Our stand in the war against terrorism has been cearly set out by Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. He has vowed that the State will continue to be vigilant in their pursuit of these evil men. We will not be deterred until every one of them is caught. And in pursuing this terrorist threat we have examined the roots from which these terrorists claim they have sprung. We have looked into the heart of our society and at how the teachings of Islam, which are at the centre of our governance, could be so misinterpreted. With this in the forefront of our minds we have revised the ways in which our children are being taught and examined what our clerics are preaching. But this is not enough. Our actions alone will not succeed in stopping this international virus. Using modern, cheap, mass communication technology - e-mail communications and the internet - they have spread their twisted ideas to the disaffected in our communities, to extremists in the furthest corners of the world. We need the support and cooperation of the international community to root out this evil. We also need to examine what is at the root of their twisted ideas. Certainly a part of it is uncontrolled fear and twisted anger. They are against and fear any kind of modernisation of Islamic society. They want to keep the Islamic world in the past and feel threatened by what they see as a decadent, uncontrolled Western society imposing itself on the Arab and Islamic world, indeed subjugating that world. And they are angry at what they see as an unjust world where there is one rule for some and another rule for the rest. Those fears need to be allayed and we need to persuade the international community to deal fairly in our turbulent region. The strategic reality today is that unless we work together, and as I said, deal fairly as an international community, the twisted ideologies set forth by groups like Al Qaeda will continue to fester like a cancer within our society, spreading the seeds of fear and terror with one press of the send button on their computer. This reality is alarming. Let me emphasize again: the challenge of terrorism will only be met and defeated through international cooperation and better understanding. Ladies and gentlemen I will turn now to what I see as an essential element of that international cooperation and understanding - the creation of a better dialogue between civilizations, cultures, and religions Dialogue between people and cultures is vital if we are to develop international toleration and understanding and defeat hatred and extremism. Discrimination on the basis of culture, race and religion is the fuel that extremists use to support their ill-defined ideologies and spread their message of hate. We live in a small world. People today can travel and communicate with others across the world in a way they never could twenty or even ten years ago. Our world is shrinking - technology has given us access into the daily lives of people across the world. Through satellite television and internet communications, people in every corner of the world can read and listen to what is said in the media and to what is spoken at forums like your respected organization. And they will react to it - that is human nature. It is our duty and responsibility to spread the message of understanding and tolerance - to counter in every way we can the spread of misinformation and accusation. Today's world civilization is a cumulative product of an ongoing human path evolved over centuries. It is not the product of one nation, one faith, one culture - it is the joint product of many faiths - including followers of Islam and Christianity - and many cultures. It is cumulated knowledge from East and West, North and South. We must look at the commonalities between Islam and Christianity, not at the divisions. We should look together at how both our faiths have contributed to the development of civilisation today. Principles of justice, fairness, mercy and the rule of law are at the root of all great cultures and religions - ancient and modern. We need to be united, to fight together for understanding and to resolve the conflicts that have created an environment where terrorism breeds and prospers. Let's look at Iraq. The people of Iraq suffered for a long time under Saddam Hussein's oppressive regime. They have longed for stability and security and a prosperous future. But the reality - despite their liberation from Saddam's evil regime - is an ongoing boiling pot of violence. Confusion, fear, despair and instability and the bitter pills of discontent have been the daily diet of the Iraqi people. The hideous killing of innocent people, the ongoing lack of security and the absence of any national central authority add to their sense of helplessness and hopelessness. But there is hope here, now as we welcome the selection of a president for Iraq. This is the first step. We must now support Iraq in the next step forward - towards a national government and independence. The Iraqi people need clear reassurance about the sovereignty of their country and its independence. It is important that the proposed new Iraqi government has FULL sovereignty and has ALL the rights that sovereign governments have. It is the duty of the world community and the UN to ensure that this happens. Only then, when the Iraqi people finally feel free and in control of their own destiny, will there be any hope of peace and security in Iraq. And until then and during the transitional period, it is the absolute duty of coalition forces to put an end to the horrific violations of human rights of Iraqi prisoners and to bring those responsible for any violation to account. And let's not forget the running sore of Palestine. The ongoing Palestinian Israeli conflict is probably the most threatening to Middle East peace and stability. And there will be no peace or stability until a just and comprehensive solution is found within which Palestinians have the right to self determination and have their own state, on their own land. The United Nations has passed many resolutions, but the crisis continues. In recent weeks we have seen the large scale killing of Palestinians and the demolishing of their homes in Rafah. It is not the first such tragedy and no one believes it will be the last. Helplessly the Palestinians watch and wonder why the world takes no action against their aggressors. At the very least it is up to the international community to help them rebuild their homes and surely to protect them against this violence. The lack of action by the international community has led many in the Middle East to criticise the double standards used in pursuing UN resolutions in regard to Israeli aggression and inhuman treatment towards the Palestinians. But we know that the excuse that the Israelis give for their unwarranted and violent attacks against the innocent are the violent suicide bombs that have rocked their community. There is hope. Hammas strongly condemned the attack at AL Khobar on innocent people and perhaps now is the time to appeal to Hammas to bring to an end the suicide attacks that a few extremists from within their group have perpetrated within Israel - their victims too have been the innocent. We hope that the next meeting of the International Quartet Committee revives the peace process and urges Israel to live up to its commitments towards the Road Map and to its obligations based on international legitimacy, UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, and in accordance with the principle of land for peace as endorsed at the Madrid conference. It is the responsibility of the international community to provide protection for the Palestinians against Israeli aggression, and it's the moral duty of each one of us to protest against the inhuman treatment of the Palestinians. Unless and until there is stable governance in Iraq and some resolution of the Israeli Palestinian conflict we will have to deal with the unfettered terror wrought by groups like Al Qaeda who use these issues as an excuse for their violent and devastating activities and as a tool with which to recruit the despairing and disaffected to their side. Beyond this the stability of the Middle East in the long run will only be secured by ridding the region of all weapons of mass destruction - including those held by Israel. I have talked enough about the violence that is besetting our region now I want to move on to the issue of oil. This precious mineral resource which is found in excess under the sands of our land is of immense significance and strategic importance. Saudi Arabia currently has the largest oil reserves in the world and has the capability to be elastic in its production - producing more or less oil in order to keep prices steady. Oil has not only brought tremendous financial benefits to our region, it has also made us the sometimes uncomfortable focus of international attention. The price of oil can be the difference between a stable and unstable economy, the price can be the cause of rising or falling inflation. It is affected by supply and demand. The Kingdom is committed to maintaining this balance within the international oil market and preventing disruption of the supply of oil. We believe that stability in the oil market is in the interest of both the oil exporting countries and importing countries. Realizing the sensitivity and importance of this strategic commodity to the world economy we have historically increased oil supplies at times of crises. For instance: *after the Iranian Revolution when there was a drop in Iranian oil production; and again *during the first Gulf War when Iraqi oil exports were halted and again *in the run-up to the second Gulf War when Iraqi exports dropped We also supplied additional crude to the U.S. market after 9-11 to calm markets. Our record is clear and consistent. Following the recent escalation in oil prices - which incidentally was not caused by a change in OPEC production and pricing policies - Saudi Arabia was again keen to bring stability back into the market by increasing output. On the 21st of May, this year at a special meeting of oil ministers in Amsterdam we proposed an increase in OPEC production of more than two million barrels per day. Even without that agreement Saudi Arabia announced its decision to try to relieve the international crisis by allocating its customers 9.0 million barrels a day. But the price of oil is not solely in the hands of the exporters. Petrol is one of the most heavily taxed commodities in the Western world. We have urged the importing countries to lower the cost of fuels at petrol stations by reducing high taxes on these products. It's a comfortable excuse to blame increases in petrol prices on the exporting countries - but high taxes are responsible for more than doubling the price paid by the man on the street. In Britain taxes account for more than 70 per cent of the cost of a litre of petrol from the petrol pump. And yet we carry the blame for any price rise - and the divide between us grows. Countries like Saudi Arabia are seen as rich oil producers - and consumers consider themselves "poor" because they are without these resources. And yet the reality is that many importing countries are making much more money on oil products than we, the oil producing countries, do. The mark-up is disproportionate to the cost. Ladies and gentlemen, we have looked at the strategic threat of terrorism and the unresolved problems of Iraq and Palestine. We have looked at the strategic importance of our economic base - the black gold that dominates our economy and has become an essential commodity within the world community. Now let us look at government - the strategic centre. As the world gets smaller, countries outside the Western loop are under constant and continual pressure to change, to adopt what the West sees as important governmental reforms, but their reforms not ours. We are all agreed on one thing: reform is necessary. Saudi Arabia, perhaps more than almost any other country in the world, is an example of a fast evolving government and economy. Where were we 70 years ago and where were you? Your lives have changed with the development of more technology. But 70 years ago you had cars, phones and planes. Your government was run much the same way as it is today. Many of the schools your children go to, the homes you live in, the hospitals that care for your sick and the universities - like this one here at Oxford - date back not just decades but hundreds of years before that time. In Saudi Arabia we had nothing. The number of schools in the Kingdom could be counted on your fingers, hospital care was virtually non-existent, there weren't any universities, and just a few hundred miles of road across an area the size of Europe. Our homes were in the desert or built from mud bricks. And our government was a consensual one, our leaders chosen by mutual agreement within the tribes. All this has changed. There was a time in the 50s, 60s and 70s when if you left Riyadh or one of the other major cities for more than a month you wouldn't recognize it when you came back because change happened so fast. Hospitals, schools and homes mushroomed in our desert land. And our government evolved to. We now have a Shura Council of 120 members with a wide range of advisors - including women. And we know that things must change further. Reform is an inherent part of our government policy. As the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Fahd confirmed in his address to the Shura Council in May last year. I quote: "We will continue on the path of political and economic reform. We will work to improve our system of government and the performance of the public sector and broaden popular participation in the political process." As our country grows - its population has more than doubled in 25 years - there is a necessity for developing reforms to widen political participation. The Majlis system alone, which has served our people well, is no longer enough. We are currently developing a system of elections to local councils in order to ensure wider participation by all the people of the Kingdom. But we will do it our way. Forcing us to do it in any other way only breeds anger and resentment. Our country was united by Islam, our law and government is based on the law of Islam. One of the greatest tragedies of this life we all lead will be if, as the world gets smaller, we become too much the same. We must be united in the principles we follow of peace and justice for all, but we must maintain our individuality - because we take a separate path it doesn't mean that we don't all have the same goal. We must all eat - but the world would be a dull place if we all ate toast and marmalade for breakfast. We want to not only create a more participatory government but at the same time find ways of increasing job opportunities for the young in our society - whose discontent is sometimes understandably founded on a lack of opportunity. And to do that we know we have to attract more foreign and domestic investments to revise tax and capital market laws. To sum up. These reforms, which all follow the principle of moderation, have the following objectives: 1. To develop job opportunities, particularly for the young, through training and educational reform. 2. To increase public participation in the political sphere. 3. To increase the contribution of women in all walks of life. 4. To develop and improve the judicial system. 5. To develop and reform the economic environment by reforming commercial systems and laws. Ladies and Gentlemen I have now briefed you on our evolutionary plans for future governance and development of our country; our stand against terrorism and for peace in the Middle East and the strategic importance to us and to you of the oil that we export and that has changed the world we live. Now I shall turn to what happened in Al Khobar four days ago. As usual, much speculation and innuendo always accompany such events. So I will relate to you what I know in order to dispel the speculative allegations that have been made. These allegations are: That the terrorists targeted westerners and western companies and a compound for westerners; That the terrorists successfully attacked oil installations in Al Khobar; That the terrorists wore National Guard uniforms; That the terrorists were allowed to escape in a deal with the police; That there was complicity between the terrorists and members of the security forces that allowed the terrorist to do their murderous deed and then to escape. Now these are the facts as they have come to me from Al Khobar. 1.On Saturday morning, four terrorists attacked the offices of Resource Science Arabia Ltd, a Saudi consulting company, Apicorp, a Pan Arab Petroleum investment company. In the process, they killed three Saudi guards, one Englishman and one American. They then drove through the streets of Khobar heading towards the Al Wahah Compound. On the way they murdered a ten year old Egyptian boy. At the Wahah Compound, they tried to drive a car bomb into the compound, but security prevented them. They then left the car and climbed the wall and started shooting their way into the one room suite building where they began to inspect the rooms and according to witnesse, were sorting the residents by religion, letting Muslims go, and herding non-Muslims to the top floor. In fact the terrorists left a trail of death that comprised the following: 8 Indians, 3 Saudis, one American, one Briton, 2 Sri Lankans, one Swede, one South African, one Italian, one Egyptian, 3 Filippinos; hardly a concentration of Westerners. As the day wore on and night came, the security forces prepared for the assault on the building and the freeing of the hostages. Throughout the day and night, residents of other parts of the compound were brought out by the police. Those who were rescued numbered more than 241, more than 40 of them were the hostages on the top floor. The terrorists wore dark training suits throughout the ordeal. As to complicity and deal making; if there was complicity, then more remarkable targets would have been attacked, not the vulnerable office buildings and housing compounds. As to deals, we have never struck deals with terrorists nor did we now. Let us not forget that your country's experience with terrorism lasted 20 years, Italy's more than 15, Germany's more than 15, and Spain's is still going on. And let us not forget that in the midst of the terrorist campaign here, and after the increased alert and security measures, the terrorists still very nearly blew up your then Prime Minister, along with her Government ministers. Was there complicity by members of your police? Of course not. That is why I repeat that we are all targeted by terrorists, and we must not let them win by adhering to their intimidation and threats. To conclude: *We are committed to combatting terrorism, and its financing, to capturing terrorists and destroying their cells. *We are committed to flexible oil production in order to maintain stable oil prices. *We are committed to reforming our government - we believe in evolution over revolution. *We are committed to peace in our region - full sovereignty for the Iraqi people and self determination for the Palestinians in their own homeland. And we all pray for a future free of conflicts and marked by tolerance and prosperity for all parts of our small and complex world. Thank you.