RIYADH, 14 July 2004 — French Ambassador Bernard Poletti has said Saudi-French relations are excellent and reports of security concerns among French investors and traders are “somewhat exaggerated.”
In an interview on the occasion of France’s National Day, the ambassador said it’s true the Kingdom has been going through a period of security concerns which were unheard of prior to 9/11. “However, security concerns exist all over the world and all the countries have to face it.”
Describing terrorism as a global phenomenon, the ambassador said it is reassuring to know that the Kingdom’s leadership is going all out against the terrorists, while at the same time it is trying to educate the misguided elements out of their narrow vision.
In this context, Ambassador Poletti paid tributes to Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal for his recent meeting with the ambassadors and representatives of expatriates in Jeddah. “It was a very positive meeting during which Prince Saud had an open dialogue with the ambassadors and the expatriates for three to four hours. He reaffirmed the Saudi government’s determination to give full protection to expatriates. From the questions that were being asked by the participants, it was very clear that the tone of the discussion was not on whether the expatriates should leave but rather on how they can stay safely in the Kingdom.”
Asked what message he would deliver to some 4,500 French nationals in the Kingdom, the ambassador said they can be proud of their country and “can trust France and its future. At the same time, they should continue to have trust in the promising future of the Kingdom and in the friendship and strong relations between France and Saudi Arabia.”
These ties, he pointed out, have solidified over the decades and would not be affected by sporadic acts of violence. Terrorism is a multi-dimensional phenomenon resulting from several factors-political, economic, social, etc. So it is difficult to pinpoint any single cause of terrorism. Even so, the ambassador said, it has brought the two countries still closer in the joint fight against terror. A clear manifestation of this aspect was the ongoing cooperation in the field of security .”
In response to a question on the impact of security concerns on Saudis traveling to France as tourists or for educational purpose, Ambassador Poletti said there were no restrictions. “In fact, 45,000 tourist visas are issued each year to Saudis, the majority of whom visit France as tourists and the balance as businessmen and students.
Some universities in France were giving them scholarships to enable Saudis to pursue higher education in defense and other fields after putting them through an orientation course in French. They have picked up French very well. Indeed, it is a great pleasure to come across Saudis in the defense sector who are fluent in French. The government is also giving them scholarships to enable Saudis to pursue French language courses preparatory to their taking up higher studies in different fields.”
Reverting to the bilateral relations, the ambassador noted that the foundation of these ties was laid at the historic meeting between President Charles de Gaulle and King Faisal during the mid ’60s. Since then, they have grown from strength to strength reflecting the Kingdom’s stature in the Arab world and in the international community not only as the world’s largest oil producer but also for its balanced approach to international issues.
“No wonder, we have an identical approach on major issues and continue to hold frequent consultations on matters of mutual concern. It’s an ideal relationship politically which explains the basis of the frequent contacts between the leaderships of both the countries,” the ambassador said, adding: “We totally support the Kingdom’s bid for membership of the WTO (World Trade Organization), which, we hope, would be granted soon.”
Besides a deep understanding of the political issues, the ambassador said the Kingdom’s leadership was also well aware of the requirements of the WTO membership. This was the basis of the ongoing economic reforms aimed at encouraging privatization of government-owned entities, liberalization of the economy, and stimulating overseas investment in the Kingdom. French companies have shown a keen interest in these reforms as they pave the way for technology transfer, especially in the fields of electricity, oil and gas, banking sector, transportation, desalination, water treatment and management, in which they are particularly strong. Alstom of France has already landed a major contract in terms of the power generation component of the Shuaiba power and desalination plant near Jeddah.
Situated 100 km south of Jeddah on the Red Sea coast, the Shuaiba IWPP (Independent Water Power Plant), is designed to supply 880,000 cubic meters of water and 700 megawatt of electricity daily. The Ministry of Water and Electricity has short-listed 11 companies to carry out the third phase of expansion of the plant located at Shuaiba.
The cost of implementing the third phase has been estimated at between SR4.5 billion and SR5.6 billion.
“We are also interested in the petrochemical projects as well as transportation in which we are already lending our expertise there in the form of consultancy services.”
Other areas of interest for French companies, according to Ambassador Poletti, is the education sector. He cited the case of Thales which is a partner in the King Faisal Foundation’s project for the establishment of Al-Faisaliah University in the private sector. Human resources development is another area in which France has a lot of expertise and a willingness to share, he added.