WASHINGTON, 13 November 2002 — Prince Abdullah ibn Faisal, governor of Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority, has expressed hope that a US military strike on Iraq will not take place.
“We are afraid of war. The image of the area has already suffered (since Sept. 11), although we feel the perception is much worse than the reality. We do not know what will happen after (a war with Iraq) and how people in the area will relate to it. True peace is a lot more than geopolitical security,” he said.
“We have lost two major deals with US companies who have postponed doing business here because of the tension over Iraq. The talk of war for domestic consumption has had a major impact on the region,” Prince Abdullah told the annual business meeting organized in coordination with Arab Thought Foundation.
Pressed on the question of democracy in the Kingdom, Prince Abdullah said: “We, in Saudi Arabia, respect the ideas of Western-style democracy, but don’t know that our country would like to copy it. There’s been a lot of talk by the US of democracy in developing countries, but some cultures cannot be like yours.”
Asked about the impact of a political conflict in the region upon the economy, Prince Abdullah said it would not be good. “(A war on Iraq) is not going to be like the Gulf War, where the ultimate objective was to liberate Kuwait. There is a lot of uncertainty about such an action; and we really don’t want conflict in the region.”
Prince Abdullah said it would be impossible to speculate on the scenario of a post-Iraq war, again expressing hope it will not happen. “But if there’s an international consensus we will have to go along with it. I don’t know how other nations will react to this. If you want credibility in the Middle East, you have to have a balanced view in the area. If you must show the stick, then you must also show a big commitment in the region.”
In a radio interview, Prince Abdullah underscored the strong Saudi-US relations. He said there was a big difference between the rejection of US policies in the Middle East and rejection of American culture.
“The Saudi society, since time immemorial, has been interacting with other cultures with confidence and in a positive manner,” the prince said, adding that the Kingdom receives millions of pilgrims from various parts of the world every year.
Tens of thousands of Saudis have studied at US universities. They interacted with their colleagues from various parts of the world with confidence and openness, he said, adding that Saudi Arabia hosts more than seven million expatriate workers from various countries
During a meeting at the journalism center at Harvard, Prince Abdullah spoke on the role of media in presenting facts truthfully and objectively. He expressed shock at the way American editorial writers and columnists dealt with Saudi society without any knowledge of its social issues and history.
During a dialogue that lasted more than two hours, the prince answered questions related to Saudi-American relations. He emphasized the importance of Saudi-US ties to achieve stability in the Middle East. “The Saudi leadership will not hesitate to express its opinion on Arab-Israeli conflict frankly to American leaders,” he said.
Prince Abdullah said a just solution to the Palestinian problem would put an end to many crises in the Middle East region.
“The intelligent people in the Islamic world and America should not allow terrorists to hijack our brain, our tolerance and our future,” he said.
At the Boston Globe newspaper, Prince Abdullah met with editorial writers and editors. He underlined the Kingdom’s ongoing efforts to fight international terrorism.“The Saudi society grieves at the suffering of other societies as a result of calamities and reach out to help them,” he said.
Robert Jordan, US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, also flew in to attend yesterday’s meeting of the Global Forum. “This is one of the most important conferences I have attended. The high level of presentation was matched only by the high level of discussion in the audience,” he said.“The Arab Thought Foundation and its partner, Fortune Magazine, are to be commended,” he said. “It is clear that we are not facing a clash of civilizations, but instead a series of clashes within our civilizations with which we must deal. The only way to deal with them is in partnership together.”
