RIYADH, 6 March 2005 — Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Nizar Obaid Madani has said that Saudi diplomatic corps is being prepared to cope with the current challenges so that they could confront them without compromising the national interest.

Madani spelled out his views in an interview with The Diplomat magazine brought out by the Institute of Diplomatic Studies and made available to Arab News.

He also spoke about the streamlining of the diplomatic service as well as making consular service citizen-oriented with the launch of the Foreign Ministry’s Electronic Gate service on the Internet. This makes it easier to download visa applications and allows for online communication between the ministry and Saudi diplomatic missions abroad.

In a wide-ranging interview, Madani also dwelt on the dirty games that are being played abroad in the name of diplomacy and declared that the corruption of international diplomacy has dealt a serious blow to the norms of morality and code of conduct.

Referring to the challenges facing the Saudi diplomatic corps, he said: “Diplomatic work in the past was restricted to a large extent to political matters and negotiations. In the era of globalization, things have not only been restricted to the areas of concerns such as the promotion of industries, attracting of investment, the encouragement of tourism or symposiums, but also we find new issues have come to the forefront in the list of priorities, issues that were unfamiliar or untouched before, such as human rights, minorities, extremism, terrorism, environment, fighting drugs, etc.”

He said diplomats cannot face new challenges with the skills of old-style diplomacy. “The responsibilities carried by modern diplomacy have increased, intertwined and become complicated.”

Madani said the diplomat has to arm himself with adequate knowledge and numerous skills, a situation which, in the final analysis, makes diplomacy a daunting prospect and much more complicated than many can imagine.

As part of its effort to develop the standard of the Saudi diplomats, the ministry has embarked on a plan to develop their capabilities abroad and upgrade their performance, education and knowledge through a number of awareness programs appropriate to the needs of a diplomat, and at the same time enabling them to stay tuned to the international scene.

Dr. Madani disclosed that the ministry is building comprehensive data bases at all levels and has set up, for this purpose, a center for information and research.