RIYADH, 26 February 2004 — The US government says it accepts that the pace of economic and political reform in the Middle East must be set by the governments in the region, has to be in line with their capacity to absorb change, and not be imposed from outside. This was the message at a press conference held by US Undersecretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs Alan P. Larson following talks with Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard.
US Ambassador James C. Oberwetter and other senior US Embassy officials were also present.
Larson also met with Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali Al-Naimi in addition to visiting the King Faisal School for a look at the Kingdom’s educational system. Later, he left for Cairo.
The undersecretary’s statement seemed to be a response to the earlier joint declaration by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Crown Prince Abdullah that the Arab states could “proceed on the path of development, modernization and reform in keeping with their people’s interests and values.” They declared that Arab states “do not accept that a particular pattern of reform be imposed on Arab and Islamic countries from outside.”
Asked about his talks with Prince Abdullah, Larson said both governments recognized the need to bolster cooperation in the fields of energy and trade. “We also sought advice on promoting shared aims in the region, including opportunities for economic and social advancement.”
Larson said both governments recognized that “terrorism is a threat to all countries and certainly to the US and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There is strong cooperation between our two governments on this issue.”
During his talks with Al-Naimi, both sides brought up the prospect for joint investments and the situation in the international oil market.
According to The New York Times, executives of Saudi Aramco and Western experts agree that the Kingdom’s oil fields required new investments for development of new sources of oil to cope with the increased demand for oil.
On the question of reopening the Saudi-Iraqi border at Arar, Larson said the matter was still under negotiation.
As for easing visa restrictions, he said that it was a worldwide issue and not country-specific. The measures had been mandated by the US Congress, he added.
