RIYADH, 4 August 2005 — Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal yesterday said the smooth transfer of power following the death of King Fahd had confounded those who cast doubts on the stability of the Kingdom.
“The smooth transfer of the leadership to King Abdullah attests to the soundness and firmness of the state institutions, providing a definite answer to those who are skeptical and pessimistic about the Kingdom’s integrity and stability,” Prince Saud told reporters.
He said no decision had yet been made on whether to name a second deputy prime minister.
“There has been no decision on that (naming a second deputy prime minister) until now, and if there is a decision, it will be announced in time,” Prince Saud said.
The foreign minister said he did not know why some people question the future of the Kingdom. “The questions come from newspapers and the media in general, although time and again Saudi Arabia has proved its tenacity, the correctness of its policy and the strength of its institutions,” Prince Saud said.
“And although time and again it has proved that it is developing, not only in the economic sphere but in the political sphere according to the pace of its people, yet the question remains... especially (from) the ‘experts’ that the media bring to talk about Saudi Arabia, who are mostly people who have never been to Saudi Arabia,” he said.
“We are in this country confident of the development of our institutions and of the trust that exists between the people and their leaders in this period of transformation and change,” he said.
Prince Saud dismissed a suggestion that the country faced its greatest challenge from Al-Qaeda. “I think the greatest challenge by Osama Bin Laden is to Osama Bin Laden. In this country everybody knows now the true nature of Bin Laden. He has killed more Muslims by his pronouncements and his actions and under his orders than he has killed anybody (else),” Prince Saud said.
The foreign minister said there would be no basic changes in the country’s policy under King Abdullah.
Both King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan had worked closely with Fahd and “the policies will remain the same,” even though the new king might have a different style, Prince Saud said.
King Abdullah is “facing the same challenges (as Fahd) — how to develop Saudi Arabia as quickly as possible within the traditions and customs of the country and maintain... stability in our region,” he said.
Prince Saud said he was frustrated some US politicians refused to accept that the Kingdom was doing its utmost to combat militancy.
“We are more successful in fighting terrorism than in convincing some American politicians that we are doing what is necessary to combat terrorism,” he said.
Prince Saud said Saudi Arabia stood firm against the problem, tackling it militarily, ideologically and financially.
“Some members of (US) Congress refuse to believe we are doing as much as we can to fight terrorism ... It is their opinion and not the true facts,” Prince Saud said.
He said relations with the US government were good but that the Kingdom was working hard to improve links with the American public.
“With the people, I hope there is an improvement in the trust they have with the Saudi people ... This is something we are working assiduously to achieve,” he said.
— With input from agencies
