JEDDAH, 25 January — Prince Talal ibn Abdul Aziz has criticized the organizers of last week’s Jeddah Economic Forum for inviting Bill Clinton to address the gathering saying the former US president has lost his influence and could not serve Arab causes now that he is out of office.
Several Saudi papers criticized the invitation especially when Clinton flew the same day to Israel to have lunch with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and receive an honorary doctoral degree from a Jewish university. Clinton snubbed Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat during the trip.
Clinton was paid SR1 million ($267,000) for the 40-minute speech at the forum. He also gave speeches at two different occasions in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. The amount he netted during his trip to the region reportedly totaled $750,000. The former president also collected donations for a project benefiting victims of conflicts.
Prince Talal, who chairs the Arab Gulf Fund for the United Nations Development Programs (AGFUND), said the invitation was surprising because it was only a few weeks ago that the former US president was in Britain collecting money for Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian territories.
"How could he (Clinton) be received in the region while only last month he was in London to raise millions of dollars for a Jewish settlement fund. How could we invite him to get $750,000 from us and for what? This is a strange situation," Prince Talal said in an interview with Al-Jazeera television station.
He said hosting Clinton will not serve any purpose now as he is no longer holding any political office. "What use does Clinton have now? His lecture (in Jeddah) was a carbon copy of what he said in Cairo and Dubai," said the prince.
While serving eight years in the White House, Clinton was not able to read the Arab mind carefully, he said. "He studied in haste our minds, sentiments and the way we act."
Commenting on the continuous anti-Arab and anti-Muslim campaign, especially against Saudi Arabia, Prince Talal said Western countries continue to harbor negative images of Arabs and Muslims.
"All of them, including the EU members, are treating us very badly. They talk about ‘Palestinian terrorism’. This is a terrible expression. The problem is that there is no effective response from the Arab side... This continued silence of Arab governments and people is a disaster," the prince lamented.
Prince Talal said he is leading a major effort to launch a dialogue with the West by confronting them on their own ground.
The project calls for sending delegations to Western countries to meet with those who influence public opinion and decision-making. Members of the delegations will include Christians as well as women.
A preparatory committee will meet over the coming days to map the general plan for the project which the prince said will require millions of dollars in support. The project will be a long-term undertaking for which secure means of financing have to be found.
"We cannot influence the West except through dialogue. The opportunities are there. We have already written to Arab governments and legislative bodies asking for their view and encouragement. Some responded and made certain suggestions."
Prince Talal said they might hire an international public relations company to prepare the ground for future interaction with the West. He stressed that Arabs must be fully prepared for such a mission.
