RIYADH, 17 October — Despite the uncertainty following the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States, a Saudi trade delegation concluded deals worth an estimated $14 million at an industrial security exhibition held in San Antonio, Texas, this month.
This was disclosed to Arab News by Jacquie Wathen, commercial specialist at the US Embassy, who returned to Riyadh after accompanying the nine-member delegation from the private sector and Saudi Aramco.
Jacquie said the presence of the Saudi delegation at the security show-cum-seminar in Texas and their conclusion of 16 agreements on the occasion reflected the strength of Saudi-American trade relations.
One of the highlights of the industrial security exhibition this year was the addition of terrorism-related content in the show, such as surveillance, integrated control access and the management of anthrax, especially its detection and treatment.
The event, attended by some 14,000 visitors, was organized by the American Society for Industrial Security.
The turnout was lower than last year’s figure of 16,000, according to Thomas Moore, commercial officer at the embassy. He said the drop in the visitor turnout was understandable in the context of the prevailing situation. Already there are indications of a less than normal response to the upcoming automotive accessories show billed for Nov. 2.
Moore also disclosed that though Saudi Arabia continued to be the largest trading partner of the US in the Gulf region, there was a decline in the US trade last year, with its exports to the Kingdom falling from $10.18 billion in 1998, $7.9 billion in 1999 to $6.23 billion last year.
US imports from the Kingdom, however, surged from $6.33 billion in 1998, $8.23 billion in 1999 to $14.22 billion last year. He attributed the unfavorable balance of trade to the escalating oil prices and the economic slowdown in the US.
Asked to spell out their strategy in the context of the downturn in US exports, Moore said all participants in the future exhibitions would be issued letters of support from the embassy to address their security concerns. But if they are still hesitant, we would understand," he added.
Replying to a question on the impact of the Sept. 11 events on bilateral trade and investment, he said businessmen on both sides are hesitant to travel under the present circumstances. However, bilateral trade would not be affected as much as travel and tourism, "since the fundamentals of trade relations on both sides were sound."
