VZCZCXRO6795
PP RUEHDE
DE RUEHRH #4724 1640935
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 130935Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY RIYADH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8561
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 2653
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0591

C O N F I D E N T I A L RIYADH 004724 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DHAHRAN SENDS 
PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/13/2016 
TAGS: PGOV SA
SUBJECT: A LOVE FEST:  THE "KING OF HEARTS" VISITS THE EP 
 
Classified by Consul General John Kincannon for reason 1.4 
(d). 
 
¶1.  (U) King Abdullah visited the Eastern Province (EP) June 
10-12, provoking great public displays of adoration and 
allegiance and some private questioning about his commitment 
to reform.  The King's agenda included a ceremonial opening 
of planned industrial city Jubail-II, launching of numerous 
petrochemical and other ventures, two receptions in the Qatif 
area (one organized by the Sunni Banu Khalid tribe, which 
dominates the Sunni enclave of Ank just outside the Qatif 
oasis, the other organized by Qatifi Shi'a), a trip to 
Al-Ahsa, and the weekly Council of Ministers meeting. 
Government spokesmen and the press billed the King's visit to 
the EP as the first stop in his first regional inspection 
tour as King. 
 
¶2.  (U) The province's notables, led by EP Emir Prince 
Mohammed bin Fahd (MbF), organized impressive displays of 
adoration and allegiance to the King.  ConOffs estimate that 
the Emirate arranged for at least 50 large welcoming 
billboards within a two-mile radius of the King Abdulaziz Air 
Base in Dhahran, where the King's plane landed.  Similar 
signage covered the highway to Jubail.  The local daily 
newspaper, Al-Youm, carried extensive and adoring coverage of 
the visit and even more extensive welcoming advertisements 
sponsored by the region's top companies.  "Welcome, King of 
Hearts" read the advertisement from Ma'an Al-Sanea's Saad 
Group, which covered the bottom half of Al-Youm's front page 
for several days running. 
 
¶3.  (C) The visit also offered various EP actors 
opportunities to promote their own agendas, albeit 
discreetly.  The Shi'a appeared to have two main messages for 
the King:  that the area needs more development projects, 
especially in education; and that the Shi'a are loyal.  "It 
was a great opportunity to greet the King and tell him how 
loyal we are to this country," noted Dr. Mohammed 
Al-Khunaizi, who attended the reception in Qatif.  On the 
business side, SipChem, a rapidly expanding, privately held 
petrochemical company whose largest shareholder is the 
Al-Zamil group and which recently was granted a coveted 
additional allocation of gas feedstock, received a public 
vote of confidence in King Abdullah's "launching" of its 
butanediol plant in Jubail.  Ma'an Al-Sanea, one of the 
wealthiest EP magnates and a rumored front-man for MbF's 
business interests, also received press coverage for his role 
in arranging (and likely funding) the initial welcoming 
festivities for King Abdullah in Dammam on June 10. 
 
¶4.  (C) Comment:  Most Saudi EP residents genuinely like and 
feel allegiance to the King.  His visit to the EP astutely 
touched the province's major bases:  economic development, as 
symbolized by the booming petrochemical industry in Jubail; 
the Shi'a community; the major population centers - Greater 
Dammam, Qatif, and Al-Ahsa; and the tribes.  (Note:  While 
Saudi Aramco was not included on the King's agenda this 
visit, he opened an Aramco project in December 2004 on his 
most recent visit to the EP, when he was Crown Prince.  End 
note.)  While the King's visit to Qatif will surely cement 
his reputation among Shi'a as the most sympathetic of the 
senior Al Saud, our Shi'a contacts make a clear distinction 
between their affection for the King and their evaluation of 
SAG performance.  "I am optimistic, yes, and I know the King 
has good intentions, but changes are coming too slowly," one 
prominent Shi'a businessman told the CG several weeks ago. 
Asked on the evening of the King's visit to Qatif whether he 
thought King Abdullah was a true believer in reform, a Shi'a 
cleric replied, after a moment's hesitation, "Even if he is 
convinced, there are still so many other people in the 
government, down to the officials in our communities, who 
must also be convinced.  I don't see that happening."  End 
comment. 
 
(APPROVED:  KINCANNON) 
OBERWETTER