WASHINGTON, 5 October 2006 — Rather than attack and embarrass Saudi Arabia to “change and reform” its society, the US must stop “making dictums” that “lead nowhere,” said Saudi Ambassador to the United States Prince Turki Al-Faisal, in a sharply worded address yesterday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
Speaking to a standing-room only crowd, Prince Turki’s remarks — broadcast live to Americans around the nation — said both Saudi Arabia and the United States need to make reforms.
America, he said, must change its policy toward the Arab world in order to “regain its standing throughout the region.”
“The US and Saudi Arabia have come to recognize that our enduring relations are bound by much more than oil,” said the ambassador. “We have a number of important pillars that support our relationship.”
Prince Turki named the pillars: “Oil, trade, the war on terrorism, Middle East stability, military cooperation, and the mutual fondness that we have for each other. These pillars form our foundation.”
“Where do we go from here?” he asked.
The former head of Saudi intelligence suggested that to address future challenges, the two governments must form stronger ties.
He cited the Saudi-US Strategic Dialogue, which holds regular meetings between the Saudi foreign minister and the US secretary of state as an effective tool. The next meeting of the Strategic Dialogue will take place in Riyadh in December.
Prince Turki suggested it was also important to work on developing better relations between Saudi Arabia and the US Congress.
“This is a priority for us,” he said. “As your representatives in both Houses of Congress are some of our toughest critics.”
To improve the US-Saudi relationship, discourse between the two countries needs to change.
“We don’t mind being criticized,” said Prince Turki. “But it is the way in which Americans criticize — whether it is politicians or public figures or thought leaders — that causes us concern. We often hear political rhetoric and bombast, and not constructive commentary.”
Prince Turki acknowledged that Americans want to see and hear about reforms in Saudi society and the Kingdom’s political culture.
“But we’re not going to change just because you tell us to,” he said. “We are changing and reforming our society because it is the right thing to do for our country. And we will do so in our own way, in accordance with our traditions and culture.”
Saudi Arabia is not the only country in need of change, said Prince Turki. “We also want to see reform in the United States. Your reform of campaign contributions is essential and needed” immediately, he said. “Your policy toward the Arab world must change and be reformed in order to overcome the slump in America’s standing in my country, and in every other Arab and Muslim country...Why not productively engage us instead of engaging in rhetoric that seems designed to drive us apart?”
Good understanding and analysis of Saudi Arabia in the US is lacking, said Prince Turki.
The US “does not have a clear and real understanding of what is going on in the Kingdom, and appears to be emotionally driven. It needs to be less revealing of political agenda, and more of good sense and plain dealing.”
