The father of wisdom and diplomacy, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, has died and I feel a deep sadness that I believe all Saudis share. We lost a leader and a keen diplomat who always made us feel safe and secure in knowing that our foreign affairs were in good hands. Without question, he led the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 40 years as a faithful, loyal and brave soldier who defended the Ummah as much as he defended Saudi Arabia’s interests.
I was fortunate to have met Prince Saud on several occasions and I was struck by his intensity, sincerity and his deep sense of fairness. I met him at a time when doors were just beginning to open for female Saudi journalists who were, for the most part, not taken seriously by government officials. That was never the case with Prince Saud. When there were just a handful of women covering news events more than 10 years ago, Prince Saud treated us the same way he used to treat our male counterparts.
He supported and encouraged my work. The prince granted me and my colleagues, unfettered access to the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s press conferences when there were a few women permitted to cover such important events. This was a sensitive time in Saudi Arabia’s history with Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice making frequent trips during our troubles with extremists and during the US-Iraq war.
Saudi Arabia during that period was being watched by every western nation. The televised press conferences required that Saudi Arabia presented itself at its best. Yet he invariably allowed me to ask the first question and if time permitted he gave me permission to ask the final question. He took me seriously as a journalist and respected my position.
He further opened doors for women by hiring females to work in the Foreign Affairs Ministry at various levels, including positions as the cultural attaché.
Prince Saud had an aura that few men possess; men, who command respect, not demand it. He had the unbelievable ability to recall details despite his age and illness. He was multilingual, fluent in English and French among other languages. He even knew some Hebrew. When he used to speak, we used to feel proud to be Saudis.
I once read that Saddam Hussein was asked who was the one person he feared the most? He replied that it was Prince Saud Al-Faisal. He said, and I am paraphrasing here, that one word from Prince Saud made the world “stand by my side” against Iran and one word from him made the whole world “stand against me” during the first Gulf War.
The prince’s work speaks for itself. Many western leaders, even those who did not get along with him, praised his wisdom. He had the thankless job of extensive travel, spending most of his life on the plane traveling from one country to another to lobby for the Palestinian cause as well as other Muslim and Saudi issues.
He made the Ministry of Foreign Affairs one of the most efficient government branches because he set an example by being the first in his office early in the morning taking care of the affairs himself and following up on the smallest details.
With the exception of the king, Prince Saud Al-Faisal was the face of Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom gained global status thanks largely to Prince Saud’s adept handling of foreign affairs. He was particularly important to the success of the Kingdom after 9/11 when vehement criticism was leveled at Saudi Arabia. His measured tone, precise and careful language, and his quick thinking placed Saudi Arabia above those terrible times when lesser men would have failed.
