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June 24, 2005 |
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PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL IN A JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE WITH RICE TALKS ABOUT THE ISSUES DISCUSSED. THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: WE ARE DISCUSSING A FINAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE BILATERAL COMMITTEE AGREED UPON IN THE SUMMIT BETWEEN THE CROWN PRINCE AND PRESIDENT BUSH. RICE: OUR CO-OPERATION WITH SAUDI ARABIA IN FIGHTING TERRORISM IS GOOD AND WE BELIEVE THE KINGDOM HAS ACHIEVED SUCCESS IN DIFFERENT AREAS. PRINCE TURKI AL-FAISAL: REFORM IS AN INHERITED PART OF THE POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SAUDI ARABIA. THE RESULTS OF RICE'S VISITS TO EGYPT AND JORDAN. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. At Riyadh Airbase, she was received by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister; Ambassador Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al-Nuwaiser, Chief of Protocols at the Foreign Ministry; James Oberwetter, U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom and U.S. embassy's members. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, received at his palace U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her accompanying delegation. The U.S. Secretary of State conveyed to Crown Prince Abdullah the greetings of U.S. President George W. Bush. In turn, Crown Prince Abdullah sent his greetings to the President. During the meeting, they discussed the latest developments and situations at the regional and international arenas particularly the Palestinian issue and the situation in Iraq. Aspects of cooperation between the two countries and ways of their enhancement in all fields were also reviewed. The audience was attended by Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister; Prince Salman Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister Plenipotentiary at Saudi Embassy in the United States of America and U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom James Oberwetter. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, gave a dinner party at his palace in honor the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her accompanying delegation. The function was attended by Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Abdul Rahman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Mit'eb Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Prince Badr Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Commander of the National Guard; Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Interior; Prince Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz, Governor of Riyadh Region; other princes, and ministers. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, met with the U.S Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. During the meeting, they discussed the bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States and the latest developments in the Middle East especially in Palestine and Iraq. The meeting was attended by Prince Salman Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Delegate-Minister at the Saudi Embassy in Washington, and the U.S Ambassador to the Kingdom, James Oberwetter, and a number of officials. On January 20, 2005, Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Saud Al-Faisal and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held a joint press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The following is a transcript. PRINCE SAUD: Ladies and gentlemen, we welcome the Secretary of State to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on her visit as Secretary of State. It is a pleasure to have the Secretary here and we especially appreciate the fact that she arrived during the summer months. We always know someone is serious when they visit us during the not-so-mild weather. Our two countries share a long and deep history of friendship. We are allies in the war on terrorism and partners in the search for peace and stability in the region. We also have strong and mutually beneficial commercial and economic relations that we both are trying to enhance. The discussions with His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince were deep and mutually beneficial and focused on several issues: The bilateral relationship and how to further grow and deepen it. the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians and how to move it toward the just and comprehensive settlement that we all seek. The situation in Lebanon in the wake of the tragic murder of Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon. The situation in Iraq and the attempts to bring order and stability to that country and ensure its unity and territorial integrity. We expressed our appreciation to the President and the Secretary of State for their position, which they publicly stated, that reform must emanate from within a particular country and be in accord with the history, tradition, culture and be at the pace of that country. Therefore, I was very much pleased to brief the Secretary about the reform efforts of the Kingdom. At the summit meeting in Crawford between Crown Prince Abdullah and President Bush, our two countries agreed to establish a committee co-chaired by the Secretary of State and myself to review the relationship, exchange views and share opinions on future developments, to ensure understanding and cooperating between us. Today, we explored some of the mechanisms for doing so and we will continue to consult in the next few weeks to finalize the framework. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia appreciates the support of the United States for the Kingdom's accession to the World Trade Organization. We are ready to sign a bilateral trade agreement with the U.S., which we believe would pave the way for membership in the WTO. We also discussed ways to enhance interaction between citizens of our two countries, whether businessmen or students or medical patients. We both believe that the future of our relations depends on the interaction between our respective citizens and we are working to ensure that the openness which existed between our two nations continues into the future. As you know, hundreds of thousands of Saudis have visited the U.S. from the Kingdom for education, health care, tourism, business and investment; and tens of thousands of Americans have come here in search of job opportunities. This human traffic over the past seven decades has helped nurture and solidify the special relationship between our two nations and we hope it will continue to do so in the future. Once again, we welcome the Secretary of State to our nation and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors, and we hope that the next time she visits will allow us to show her more. SECRETARY RICE: Thank you very much, Minister. It's a delight to be here with my colleague, the Foreign Minister. We've worked together many years now in my time as National Security Advisor and I'm glad to be here on my first visit as Secretary of State. The United States, of course, enjoys a long and deep strategic relationship with Saudi Arabia. President Bush and Crown Prince Abdallah had an opportunity to deepen that relationship further with their very good summit at Crawford. As the Foreign Minister said, we have agreed to a committee, a strategic dialogue committee, that will allow us to work on the many issues before us. First, we are going to intensify our discussions of regional security. Tonight, we discussed the developments between Israel and the Palestinians. We are both supportive of the process of disengagement because successful disengagement will energize progress on the road map toward a viable two-state solution. And I want to thank the Saudi Government for what it has been doing and will continue to do to help the Palestinians as they try and prepare for that disengagement. We discussed Iraq and we both support a strong and viable government in Iraq that is unified and has territorial integrity. The Saudi Government is encouraging Sunni Arabs to joint that process, and we appreciate that. And, of course, I will see the Minister again in just a day or so when we are both in Brussels for the international conference that will support the people of Iraq as they try to build a democratic future. Second, we will be working together on our economic issues. Saudi Arabia has, on energy issues, agreed that it will increase production to help with world oil supplies over time. We know that this is a long-term problem, not a short-term one, and so we appreciate that Saudi Arabia wants to do something about the structural issues here. And Saudi Arabia has also made good progress in negotiations to join the World Trade Organization. Joining the WTO can help open the Saudi economy and release more the creative work of its people. Third, we will continue to discuss our strategies to combat violent extremism. In the years since 9/11, Saudi Arabia has become an ally in the war against terrorism and it is definitely a tough battle. But a number of Saudi policemen and soldiers have given their lives in this struggle and we honor their courage and their sacrifice. Fourth, we will strengthen our dialogue on bilateral topics. We talked about, as the Minister said, exchanges, ways to bring more Saudi businessmen and students to the United States and more Americans here. And I have to say that it was a great pleasure to meet the ministers, many of whom have studied in American universities, including one who studied at my alma mater, the University of Denver. And so I think it just shows that it is very important that we keep the flow of people between our two governments and between our two nations over this period of time. We did talk about reform, and I want to thank the Minister and the Crown Prince for their openness in discussing the course of reform here in Saudi Arabia. The United States, of course, approaches this topic as a friend. It is, of course, an issue of deep conviction for the President. The President has made clear that he believes that the values of democracy and liberty are universal values, and also that we know that there is no way in which the United States wishes to impose its own system or its will on others, but rather to help others in their efforts to choose freely. As I said in Cairo earlier today, successful reform must be home-grown and it should grow because it is good for a country. And, of course, we believe that more freedom is the best long-term cure for the ideologies of hatred. We talked, as friends do, about the progress of reform here in the Kingdom. The Saudi national dialogue and municipal elections were important events for the Kingdom. And I note also that as this process goes forward, we who believe that democracy must have two hats, not one, will continue to hope for further progress on the rights of women. The reason that the U.S.-Saudi relationship remains strong is because we are focused on the future. We both seek moderation and we seek peace and we will work together, Minister, to achieve that goal. Thank you. PRINCE SAUD: Thank you, Madam. We'll take questions on the right side, which just happens to be the Saudi side -- (laughter) -- and the left side, which is the American side. QUESTION: First of all, we'd like to welcome -- we'd like to say welcome to Riyadh. (Inaudible) would like to know what the American Government official (inaudible) evaluation regarding the Saudi -- the Saudi Arabian achievement in the following issues: fighting terrorism and human rights side and interior reforms. Thank you. SECRETARY RICE: Thank you very much. We have excellent cooperation on counterterrorism, on fighting terrorism. We share the same goal that al-Qaeda and extremism of that type must be defeated. And indeed, we have very close counterterrorism cooperation. We cooperate through our services, through our military training, through every means that we have, to make certain that the people of Saudi Arabia and the people of the United States and the people of the world are safe from the kind of horrors that happened in the United States on September 11th and that happened in Riyadh in May of last year. And so we have very close counterterrorism cooperation. We believe that the Saudi Government is making progress on reform. We noted the municipal elections that took place. We note that there is a national dialogue underway. Obviously, countries will do this at their own speed, but we encourage reform to go forward as quickly as possible. And as I said, we believe that any reform will expose the fact that there are universal values and freedoms that people aspire to. And as I've said to the Minister, we believe that the people of the Middle East, including the people of Saudi Arabia, are no different in that regard. This is a very strong relationship, and on the basis of that strong relationship we can talk about anything at any time. And we have tonight talked about just about everything, which is why you're here at a midnight press conference. PRINCE SAUD: May I add to that that I really don't understand what the row is about about asking for what type of reforms and what speed the reform is taking in our country or the other. After all, we speak to you about it. I don't see why it would be strange to speak to the State Department or the Secretary of State about it. So the row is really meaningless. The assessment is important for any country in the development of its political reform, in the development of its own people, and that is, in the final analysis, the criteria that we follow. QUESTION: Madam Secretary, you said in Cairo today that many people in this country pay an unfair price for exercising their basic rights. Did you raise those concerns here today and did you get any sense that things would change on that score? And, please, to the Foreign Minister, how could Saudi Arabia put people in prison simply for petitioning the government? And also, can you give us your reaction to the Secretary's speech today in Cairo? SECRETARY RICE: Well, I did raise the issue of the three people who were imprisoned that I raised earlier in Cairo. We have raised it with the Saudi Government in the past and I raised it again tonight. And the Minister will give his own answer, but we will continue to follow the progress of this case. We think it is an important case. And I said exactly to the Minister what I said in Cairo earlier, that the petitioning of the government for reform should not be a crime. The Foreign Minister is open in the way that he discusses these things with us, but I will let him speak for himself. PRINCE SAUD: Thank you. And we did talk about the three prisoners. We don't have any -- and I told the Secretary that they have broken a law; they are in the hands of the court. The government cannot interfere until they -- the court action is taken in this regard. As to the reaction to the speech, I was so busy in arranging the welcome to the Secretary that I'm afraid I haven't read it, to my eternal shame. SECRETARY RICE: But he'll tell me what he thinks when he sees me in Brussels, right? PRINCE SAUD: I will, indeed. QUESTION: Good morning, Ms. Secretary of State Rice. (Inaudible) from the Arab News. Have your discussions with the Crown Prince and the Foreign Minister touched on the Saudi detainees in Guantanamo Bay? If so, what is their fate and when will they be returned? SECRETARY RICE: Well, we have had these discussions in a fairly steady fashion over time about Saudi citizens who have been detained at Guantanamo. We have arranged from time to time for there to be access so that people can assess the situation there. Of course, the International Red Cross has access to Guantanamo. The point that I would make is that the United States and Saudi Arabia share a common problem, and that is how to deal with the terrorist threat that emerged so dramatically -- it had been there before, but emerged so dramatically on September 11th and then struck here in Riyadh. These are very dangerous people and we need to remember that the people who are being detained were on the battlefield, many of them in Afghanistan fighting with al-Qaeda, fighting with the Taliban; that when interviewed, many of them say that the first thing they would like to do is to go back to killing Americans or others. And in some cases, we've actually released people that we've met again on the battlefield. The President has been very clear that the United States will live up to its international obligations, its treaty obligations, within -- taking into account military necessities, but always to live up to our obligations, including on conventions like the Convention Against Torture. And so we are -- these are not prisoners of war because they don't deserve that status, but we are treating people in accordance with the requirements of the Geneva Accord, although we do not believe that -- the Geneva Convention -- although we do not believe that they enjoy that protection as prisoners of war. And so this is the kind of issue that we've talked about from time to time, and when the Saudis have had concerns, we have tried to answer them. QUESTION: Madam Secretary, Mr. Minister, turning to the Middle East for one second, a couple of hours ago, the United States, through your Spokesman, issued a statement condemning and singling out Palestinian violence right now and asking the Palestinian Authority to take immediate action. What is the purpose of this statement right now? Is there a particular problem right now that is the Palestinians' fault in this circumstance? And, Mr. Minister, can you also please react to the statement? SECRETARY RICE: Well, I don't know if the Minister has heard the statement so let me just describe the event that led to this. There was, as I understand, an incident in the Gaza today with the killing of a settler, which Mahmoud Abbas himself has said was intended by someone who was outside the Palestinian consensus to try and derail the progress that is being made. And as you know, Prime Minister Sharon and President Abbas are to meet tomorrow. And so quite clearly, from the point of view not just of the United States but of the Palestinian Authority, this was an attempt, which is very often the case with terrorists, to try and derail this process. So that was the reason for the statement, because we felt it very important that the United States be on the record as saying that this kind of thing cannot be tolerated. I welcome the fact that the Palestinian Authority has also noted that this was not inside their consensus and I hope that the Palestinian Authority will act in any way that it can to find the perpetrators of this. We're going to go through a period of time now where the Palestinian people have a real opportunity with the Israelis to try and make progress through the kind of confidence and trust that could be built up during the disengagement. There are undoubtedly going to be people outside that consensus who try and literally blow up or destroy the possibility for that progress, and we have to speak out against it when we see it. PRINCE SAUD: Well, I haven't heard this statement, but I can talk about violence. The Palestinian consensus is to stop the violence at this time and enter into negotiations, so any Palestinian who causes violence is certainly against the Palestinian consensus. But one has to remember in this regard the violence that the Palestinians have been meeting at the hands of the Israelis. Even during periods of cease-fire, the Israelis give themselves the right to maintain or break a cease-fire on their own consideration, and this is what has brought the instability into the region. QUESTION: Madam Secretary, good morning. I'd like to ask you, Ma'am, how do you see the possibility of having an independent Palestinian state before 2008? SECRETARY RICE: Oh, was that date chosen for any particular reason? 2008? I'm only kidding. I know the date. QUESTION: Well, you know, before the elections... SECRETARY RICE: Yes, I understand. I understand. I'm not one to set timetables and deadlines. I do believe that we should work as hard and as quickly as possible to create the conditions in which a Palestinian state can emerge. And again, I think we have a very good opportunity right now with the Gaza disengagement for the parties to work together on something consequential, for Israeli forces and settlers to leave the Gaza, for the Palestinians then to have territory where they can begin to establish and strengthen the institutions -- political, economic, security institutions. I just want to note, we talk about Gaza, but of course there is a link to the West Bank in that there are four northern settlements in the West Bank that will also be evacuated. And so this is a very important step that's about to take place. I hope we can then accelerate progress on the road map. And because I've sometimes seen events move more slowly than we'd hoped, but I've also seen them move more quickly than we might have thought, I'm not one to set timetables. We'll work just as hard as we can and as fast as we can. PRINCE SAUD: We'll take two more questions, one from each side, because the Secretary, I am sure, is very tired. QUESTION: Madam Secretary, you and the President and other members of the Administration have been asked a number of times in recent months about the role of Hamas and Hezbollah potentially in the political situation in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. And the answer has been pretty consistently that the U.S. is not going to deal with these groups because they are terrorist organizations. And you were asked questions about that today as well. When you were asked today at the Cairo address about the Muslim Brotherhood, your response was also that the United States will not engage with this group. Yet, the Muslim Brotherhood has, for a generation now, renounced terrorism and, in fact, last year issued an 11-page statement of principles in which it embraced parliamentary democracy, free elections and even universal suffrage. So how can you reconcile the refusal to engage at all with this group with the reasoning that you give for not engaging with, say, Hamas -- Hamas and Hezbollah? SECRETARY RICE: Well, I have said also that the United States is going to engage the Palestinian-elected leadership on the course ahead. We now will have a Lebanese-elected leadership that I'm sure that we will engage on the course ahead. And we are engaging the Egyptian Government about reform. The Egyptians -- we will respect their laws. We are in a long-term process in which there are -- in which civil society is developing, in which opposition is developing and finding voice, and that is a process that the United States will support as a process. It does not mean that we can turn our backs on the determinations that we have made about the past or the present of certain groups concerning their activities. That's not something that we can do. But what we can do is encourage a process that is going to lead to greater and greater openness and where legitimate opposition groups will emerge and where legitimate opposition, if it comes from any of these groups, will eventually have a voice. But I, today, was in Egypt with opposition leaders, with people who are really part of the political process, opposition from within the party of the government, from without the party of the government, and it seems to me that there's a healthy civil society in Egypt. Our task now has to be to focus on sustained encouragement and a sustained spotlight on the Egyptian Government so that the elections that are about to take place can be free and fair and transparent. This is a process that we're involved in, not a moment in time. Last one from the Saudi side? PRINCE SAUD: We have to do the lady. SECRETARY RICE: All right. QUESTION: Former President Bill Clinton has said in an interview with the Financial Times published today the United States should either close down or clean up the Guantanamo Bay prison for world terrorism suspects; American or British troops would be at much greater risk if they have the reputation for abusing people. What is your comment? SECRETARY RICE: Thank you. Well, a lot of changes have taken place at Guantanamo and in the detainee system as a whole. And as the President said, we are constantly reviewing alternatives and changes to the system as we go forward because we are not where we were three and a half years ago at the time of September 11th. But I just want to repeat that the detention of people who were caught on the battlefield engaging in extremist acts with some of the most extreme elements that have existed in modern times, al-Qaida or the Taliban, can simply not be let out onto the streets. These are people who have bombed, or people of this persuasion, who have bombed subways in Madrid, who have held hostage schoolchildren in Beslan, Russia and killed innocent people, who set off bombs here in Riyadh, who drove airplanes into buildings in New York. I know that with the benefit of time, it's sometimes easy to lose your fire about what happened with these killings of innocents, but we can't afford to forget because the war on terrorism continues and these -- many of these people would go right back to fighting in the war on terrorism were they released. Some have said as such and some have actually done it. And so the detention system, which is intended to be in conformity with America's obligations, international obligations, and where I think the great, great majority of American men and women in uniform have tried to deal with this very difficult situation in a dignified and humane way, that system has to exist because these are not people who you can simply let out onto the streets. So again, we continue to try to improve the system and to look at alternatives, but let's remember that the first obligation of the American President or the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia or any other leader is to protect their citizens from the kind of extremism and wanton terror that these groups practice. Thank you very much. PRINCE SAUD: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you, Madam Secretary. The U.S Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice left Riyadh after an official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. At Riyadh Air Base, she was seen off by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister; Prince Salman Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Delegate-Minister at the Saudi Embassy in Washington; the U.S Ambassador to the Kingdom, James Oberwetter, and a number of officials. Earlier in a speech in Cairo, Rice praised the three Saudi reformists as "brave citizens." She described recent municipal elections in the Kingdom as "first steps toward openness." The three reformists were sentenced to between six and nine years in prison in May on charges of demanding a constitutional monarchy. They were among a dozen people arrested in March 2004. The others were released after pledging to no longer lobby publicly for reform. The three were accused of "using Western terminology" in formulating their demands. They also questioned the king's role as head of the judiciary. Rice also criticized emergency law, arbitrary justice and violence against peaceful demonstrators in Egypt and called on the Egyptian government to "put its faith" in the people. She emphasized the strategic relations between the US and Egypt. In a major policy speech at the American University in Cairo, Rice said democracy should not be imposed from outside. "Every country has its own history, customs and special nature. As a result it is not possible to impose a particular model of democracy on all peoples of the world," she said. "There is no plan to impose sanctions on countries that oppose democratic reforms," she clarified. Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, in his joint press conference held with visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice swiftly rejected the idea that the three so-called Saudi reformists currently serving a prison sentence were merely petitioning the government and urging it for reform. I told the Secretary that they have broken the law. They are in the hands of the courts and the government cannot interfere with the courts. Rice had just reiterated the statement she made in Cairo that petitioning the government for reforms should not be a crime, and the foreign minister is open in the way that he discusses these things with us. Rice's is the first visit by a US Secretary of State to the Kingdom after 9/11. Among the topics she discussed with her hosts were reforms in the Arab world including the Kingdom, developments in the Middle East peace process, the elections in Lebanon, the situation in Iraq and the war on terror. Prince Saud and Rice repeatedly reiterated the strong and historic friendship that has existed between their two countries for the past 60 years. Rice had much praise for the Saudis with regard to their constructive efforts to boost the peace process between the Palestinians and the Israelis. She praised the Saudis for their fruitful efforts to engage the Sunni Iraqis in the ongoing political process taking shape in Iraq. Rice also defended Guantanomo Bay. The detention of people who were caught on the battlefield engaged in extreme acts with some of the most extreme elements that have existed in modern time the Taleban or Bin Ladin can simply be not let out on to the street, she said. Rice said that the United States and Saudi Arabia have a common threat. We need to remember the people in Guantanamo Bay were captured on the battlefield, and we have meet the same people on the battlefield after releasing them. Rice said that some of the Guantanamo prisoners said that if they were let free they would go back to the battlefield. Dr Rice insisted that the prisoners are not prisoners of war, but are being treated according to the Geneva Convention. Rice pointed out that the US does not wish to impose its own values upon another country but would like to help assess the process to democracy and liberty. Rice said that since September 11, 2001, Saudi Arabia has become an ally in the war against terrorism. The United States and Saudi Arabia share a common problem and that is how to deal with the terrorist threat that emerged so dramatically on September 11 and then struck here in Riyadh. On reform in the Arab world, Rice repeated her government stance that reforms in the Arab world have to be home-grown and not imposed from outside. The US approaches these matters as a friend. We talked as friends on reform in the Kingdom, she said, and added that the American system of government does not have to be taken as a model by any one. But she emphasised that principles of human rights, democracy and freedom of speech are universal principles. On the other hand Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the Saudi Ambassador to United Kingdom and Ireland, has confirmed that reform is an inherited part of the policy of the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which always seeks to make this reform a success based on the Shoura philosophy. In a speech before the annual meeting of an international research organization interested in foreign relations and said to be pro-conservatives in Europe and the United States, which was held in Paris, Prince Turki gave an account of Sheikh Mohammed Ibn Abdul Wahab's reformist Islamic call which was dealt wide criticism in Europe and the States. He attributed the misunderstanding of the Europeans and Americans of Ibn Abdul Wahab's call to ignorance and recent and old political disputes, noting that few of Ibn Abdul Wahab 's critics have read him directly. They are confused to differentiate between the Sheikh's views and of those who claim to be his followers, the Prince said. "The main reasons for misunderstanding the sheikh's message are ignorance and political conflicts. Most of his critics, especially those in the West, have not read his books and are unaware of Islamic and Arab culture. They mix Islam and culture and mix the ideas of Ibn Abdul Wahab with those of his so-called followers," Prince Turki said. Prince Turki highlighted Sheikh Abdul Wahab's views on the importance of dialogue, spread of education, defense for women rights and the oppressed. Ibn Abdul Wahab rejects terrorism, extremism and violence, the prince said, citing several statements by Abdul Wahab's close and staunch followers. He also added that Islam calls for peaceful co-existence among civilizations, religions and cultures. He described the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a moderate state which introduces reform and change according to the requirements of the era. Our critics call us strict Islamists but in fact we try to reach a balance among the different aspirations of our society, Prince Turki said. He noted the recent expansion of the Shoura Council from 120 to 150 members as a major political reform aimed at increasing public participation in the decision-making process. He said reforms in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a continuous process, citing the expansion of the Shoura Council from 60 members 12 years ago to 150 in the current time. "Reform is part and parcel of the Saudi government policy. We have introduced the consultative Shoura system and reached out to all sections of society to make our reform program successful," the ambassador explained. He recalled the announcement made by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz three years ago regarding political, economic, administrative, judiciary, and educational reforms and granting women equal chances in developing their country. Saudi Arabia is going ahead with its reform program, Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom Prince Turki Al-Faisal has said. He added that the government had introduced a number of political, economic, educational and judicial reforms in recent years and had given equal opportunity to women to take part in the country's development. Addressing the Paris-based foreign policy group comprising European and American politicians and researchers, Prince Turki defended the ideology of Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahab, saying the Saudi scholar had opposed extremism and called for the protection of women. During his speech at Le Cercle, a think-tank for international affairs chaired by former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Lord Lamont of Lerwick, the ambassador said that Islam encouraged its followers to live peacefully with other communities. "Peaceful coexistence must be based on dialogue," he added. He quoted a verse from the Holy Quran that urges Muslims to invite others to Islam in a wise and diplomatic manner. In Egypt At her press conference with Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul -Gheit, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described her talks with President Mubarak as having been extremely fruitful, she said relations between the two countries are strategic and important adding that the United States views Egypt as a vital and pioneering state in the region. She said that she is confident that the upcoming presidential elections in Egypt would be fair and free. On his part, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul -Gheit said we are keen on having fair and free elections in Egypt as this best serves the interests of all. She said, the step, which the President has taken to amend the constitution would be conducive to competitive, free and fair elections, in which competitors will be given equal chances and opposition will spell out its views clearly. She added that the entire world was looking forward to the following up of the Egyptian presidential elections and their outcome especially in light of the changes taking place in the region and in which Egypt is playing a vital role. Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul -Gheit said President Mubarak and Rice discussed during their 90-minute talks about several issues including the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the West Bank in August and the developments in Iraq. She also expounded the outcome of her visits to Israel and the Palestinian lands over the past two days, he said. He added that he will also fly to the Belgian capital to attend a conference on Iraq. Abul- Gheit said that the Egyptian-US contacts were continuing on the issues of the region. Egypt welcomes the US views on the present issues and also finds pleasure in answering any of the questions raised by the US or any of the countries of the region in general, he said. US Secretary of State Rice said during her visit to Israel and the Palestinian lands that she felt cooperation from both the Palestinians and the Israelis and a real wish to make headway as regards the roadmap plan. A successful Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Strip and the West Bank can create an atmosphere of confidence on both parties, she said. All are committed to implement the roadmap because it is the ideal way that could be conducive to have a Palestinian State that lives in peace along Israel, she added. The roadmap is supported by all the Palestinians and Israelis and all members of the world community, she said . She expressed hope that the meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon would make progress regarding the peace process. She added that Sharm el- Sheikh understandings signed by the Israeli and Palestinians earlier will have a vital role in the settlement between the two parties. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave a lecture at the American University in Cairo (AUC) with as many as 700 Egyptian government officials, academics and other guests attending. In her lecture, after talks with President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm el- Sheikh earlier in the day, Rice said her country supports the democratic aspirations of all peoples. She noted that US President George W. Bush, in his second inaugural address, said the US would not try to impose an American style of government on the unwilling and that the goal of his administration was to help others find their own voice. "Throughout the Middle East the fear of choices can no longer justify the denial of liberty. It is time to abandon the excuses that are made to avoid the hard work of democracy", Rice said. Rice, said "US President George Bush has made establishment of democarcy in the Arab world as one of the priorities in fighting terrorism and extremism. The visiting US Secretary of State noted that President Mubarak has opened the door to change with his decision to amend the Constitution to allow presidential elections through secret balloting rather than a referendum. "President Mubarak has unlocked the door for change. But now, the Egyptian government must put its faith in its own people", Rice said. Some argue that democracy would lead to chaos, but the truth is the opposite because freedom and democracy are the only way to overcome violence and hatred, she added. Rice, in her lecture, noted that the coming Egyptian presidential and parliamentary elections should enjoy high levels of positiveness like the case in any other elections in the world countries. Opposition groups have the right to representation in elections and have a fair share of media time, she pointed out. All elections participants whether from the governmental side or the opposition should respect the law, shrug off violence and abide by regulations of free elections, she pointed out US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Washington believes that the final say in the Egyptian internal affairs is for the Egyptian people. In an interview with the Egyptian Nile TV, Rice said there are international standards for freedom and democracy. The US top diplomat made it clear that Egypt is a close friendly nation of the US. The Americans think highly of the Egyptian people, she told the Egyptian TV channel. All we do, she said, is only to encourage the peoples of the Middle East region to achieve what they really want, especially that we know they want democracy and freedom. Rice was responding to a question on her earlier criticism of Egypt on this score which had been considered as a US pressure on Egypt. The US official said President Hosni Mubarak's decision to amend the Egyptian presidential election law and introduce multi candidate system is a very encouraging move. The US Secretary of State said what was more important is that the elections in Egypt should meet with international standards. The two words of " impose " and " democracy" can not come together in a sentence, she said in her answer to a question on foreign imposed democracy. It is not only the elections day that we are discussing, she said, adding that there was also the period before the elections when opposition candidates should be granted equal access to the media and work freely away from fear of violence. When people have the chance, they go to the polling stations fearing no despotism, she said, citing the example of Iraq and Afghanistan. Lack of freedom is the main cause of terror, she said. The US trusts the people's choices, she added. When people have proper channels to speak to their minds freely, there would be no need for terror, she said, adding that no parents would be then like their children to become suicide bombers. Queried on Guantanamo detention camp and the deformed image of the US in Arab and Islamic countries, the US Secretary of State admitted that people have felt worried over the US detention procedures, but "we try, as President George W. Bush has made it clear, to explain to the world that we meet international requirements as a state that enjoys the rule of law. " Rice referred to the fact that it was the US media that disclosed and criticized the malpractices in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. The US Secretary of State said Gaza disengagement plan has given a chance for all parties to regain mutual confidence. The Israeli withdrawal plan had given the Palestinians a chance to rebuild their security agencies, she said. As for Iraq, Rice said that she is always in contact with the Iraqi government in relations to the participation of Sunnis in the political process. Paradoxically, during a time of democratic improvements in Iraq, we only watch destruction and killing on TV, she said. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said her visit to Egypt was to encourage reform that was already initiated there after President Hosni Mubarak opened the door to reform. In statements to ABC, she said that she met activists from Egypt's civil society and opposition parties. They are planning and discussing their political campaigns, she added. The US will continue to encourage this importance process, she said. She expressed belief that the US should not do anything at this point except to believe that very important changes are to take place in Egypt and the US encourages them. Asked why she did not invite leaders from the Kefaya and Moslem Brotherhood movements to her meetings with opposition groups she said on the one hand, she respects Egyptian laws, and on the other she held very good talks with Al-Ghad Party leader Ayman Nour. The US Embassy is open to any person from any political trend, but Washington will continue to respect Egypt's laws, she added. Egypt is one of the US closest strategic partners, and has taken steps that need to be encouraged and praised, she said. In Amman King Abdullah II affirmed the vital role of the U.S. Administration to forward the peace process in the region and realize its true objectives. King Abdullah made his remarks during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is visiting Jordan in the course of a Middle East tour. Rice's tour reflects the U.S. Administration's interests to achieve peace in the Middle East through encouraging the Palestinians and Israelis to resume the peace process, King Abdullah said. The implementation of the Roadmap is the only way to reach a peaceful solution that ends occupation and leads to establishing a viable and independent Palestinian state and strengthen stability in the region, said the King. He also stressed that Israel's withdrawal from Gaza should be a step for a complete withdrawal from the West Bank. King Abdullah underlined the necessity to offer every possible support to the Palestinian Authority including economic assistance to enable Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas to run governance in the Palestinian territories. During the meeting, which was attended by Royal Court Chief Marwan Muasher, King's Advisor for Security Affairs and Director of National Security Field Marshal Saed Kheir, Ministers of International Cooperation and Industry and Trade and the U.S. Ambassador in Amman, King Abdullah talked about programs of reform and modernization Jordan has been implementing and the U.S. aids and grant that helped to succeed these programs. Plans of reform and development in Jordan set an advanced model in the Region, said Rice affirming her country's continuous support to Jordan being a strategic partner. Washington sees stability and security in Jordan something vital for establishing peace and stability in the region, she said. On development of events in the region, particularly in the Palestinian areas, Rice said Washington stands against any measures that may harm Jordan's interests. Talks during the meeting also covered the situation in Iraq and views where identical on the necessity to safeguard Iraq's unity and stability. |
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