RIYADH, 12 April 2006 — Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) Chairman Prince Alwaleed ibn Talal received Wyche Fowler, Jr., former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, senator and chairman of the Middle East Institute (MEI) in Washington DC, and former Ambassador and President of MEI Edward S. Walker, Jr. at his office yesterday.
The meeting was also attended by a team from KHC including Muna AbuSulayman, executive manager of Strategic Studies, Heba Fatani, executive manager of the Corporate Communications Department, Ahmad ibn Fahad Altobaishi, assistant executive to the chairman and from the Protocol Department Lameis Al-Mouhandis and Ms. Roaa Sharaf.
The prince and his guests discussed Saudi-US bilateral relations and the fast pace of developments taking place both regionally and globally. Furthermore, the prince agreed with Fowler on the importance of maintaining strong ties between the two countries through the efforts of both sides.
Prince Alwaleed stressed that Saudi Arabia was undergoing major and noticeable developments with the support of strong strategic plans implemented by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.
The prince’s humanitarian contributions on the local level and more specifically on the international level, which play an essential role in strengthening ties between Saudi Arabia and other nations, globally mainly figured in the discussion. Walker discussed projects aimed at bridging the gap between the East and West and explaining the true meaning of Islam. Since 1946, the MEI has been an important conduit of information between Middle Eastern nations and American policy makers and organizations.