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O 161525Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY RIYADH
TO RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5392
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH IMMEDIATE 8690
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S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 001028 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DOE PASS TO ADEALVAREZ AND PWILLGING 
CIA PASS TO TCOYNE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2017 
TAGS: EPET ENRG PTER SA
SUBJECT: JOINT WORKING GROUP ON CRITICAL ENERGY 
INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION: SAUDI READOUT AND NEXT STEPS; 
AL-QAEDA LOSING POPULARITY BY TARGETTING OIL FACILITIES 
 
REF: RIYADH 873 
 
Classified By: ECONOMIC COUNSELOR BOB SILVERMAN 
 FOR 12958 1.4 B, D, AND E 
 
¶1.  (U)  This is an action request for S/CT, DS/ATA, and 
DOE/Office of Energy Reliability.  Please see paragraph 
three. 
 
-------- 
Summary 
-------- 
 
¶2.  (S)  In a May 15 meeting with Ministry of Interior (MOI) 
Chief of Staff Saad al Jabri, Joint Working Group (JWG) 
Co-Chair Dr. Saud al-Semari, MOI Industrial Security Director 
Khalid al-Ageel, Econ Counselor and Energy Attache reviewed 
next steps on critical infrastructure protection.  Two items 
are imminent on the JWG calendar: a June 15 visit to Saudi 
Arabia by a JWG expert team to assess maritime security at 
key facilities; and a June 10 two-week Design Basis Threat 
training class led by Sandia Labs, for MOI and other security 
personnel.  Following implementation of these programs, we 
hope to be in a position to schedule the fourth JWG meeting 
in Jeddah in July 2007.  Al-Jabri also described an April 14 
Saudi TV broadcast of four al-Qaeda suspects who confessed on 
air to getting Bin Laden's order to attack Saudi oil 
facilities.  Attacking the country's main source of wealth is 
losing al-Qaeda popularity in the Kingdom, al-Jabri 
concluded. End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (C)  Al-Jabri said the April 30 meeting was a valuable 
exchange; we was pleased that we are planning to reschedule 
the threat assessment brief so as to coincide with the Gulf 
Security Dialogue meeting here in Riyadh on May 23. 
Following are next steps we agreed to: 
 
----------------------------- 
US Embassy Riyadh Next Steps 
------------------------------ 
 
--To avoid delays for Saudi JWG members traveling to the US 
for JWG meetings or associated training, Embassy Riyadh is 
working with the MOI to obtain 2-year multiple entry visas 
for all Saudi JWG members and affiliated security 
representatives from parastatal companies of significant 
interest, such as Saudi Aramco and SABIC. 
 
--Mission Saudi Arabia will work to program visits in June 
for the JWG maritime security expert team, and the DOE/Sandia 
Labs Design Basis Threat training class.  Please see action 
requests below. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
Action Requests for Washington Agencies 
---------------------------------------- 
 
--For DOE/Sandia Laboratories: In line with the MOI's 
request, please provide full program information and 
preparatory reading material for the Design Basis Threat 
training program proposed for June in Riyadh.  The MOI would 
also appreciate receiving information on necessary 
qualifications or background for program participants, to 
assist MOI in selecting appropriate participants for the 
training program. 
 
--For JWG Maritime Security Experts: Please indicate what 
sites and organizations you would  like to visit, so MOI can 
coordinate with MOI constituent elements, MODA and Aramco to 
arrange these site visits. 
 
--For S/CT: Please send to Economic Counselor draft minutes 
from the April 30 JWG meeting in Washington, so we can 
finalize them with Saudi co-chair. 
 
--DS/ATA: MOI and US Mission Saudi Arabia request that DS/ATA 
Officers Soler and Maloy be available to provide additional 
assistance to the MOI's efforts to design a Facilities 
Securities Force (FSF) guard training curriculum.  DS/ATA 
please advise if Officers Soler and Maloy could travel to the 
KSA in the near future to assist with this key task. 
 
--DS/ATA: Please advise on the outcome of a proposal to 
provide federal police training for MOI officers. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
Saudi TV Airs Al-Qaeda Confessing to Attacks on 
Energy and Water Facilities, including Ras Tanura 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶4.  (S)  Al-Jabri told Econ Counselor he would send him a 
video copy of a Saudi TV broadcast, which featured four 
al-Qaeda members arrested in April 2006 confessing to plans 
to attack Saudi Arabian oil facilities.  Press reports 
indicate the suspects planned to attack Ras Tanura, Saudi 
Arabia's largest oil export facility, and Jubail City, a 
major industrial complex.  They claimed they were waiting for 
authorization from Osama bin Laden to carry out the attacks, 
which they said would be "equal to the September 11 strike." 
 
¶5.  (S) Al-Jabri stated the al-Qaeda members also mentioned 
attacks on desalination facilities.  (Note: The Jubail City 
desalination plant and associated power plant provide more 
than 90 percent of Riyadh's water, pumped uphill for 300 
kilometers.  The US Mission considers the Jubail desalination 
plant and associated power infrastructure to be critical 
infrastructure, an attack on which would be a significant 
strike against Riyadh's ability to survive and function as 
the capital city.  End note.) 
 
¶6.  (S)  The TV-aired confessions were followed by a very 
critical broadcast commentary by leading Saudi clerics 
against al-Qaeda and bin Laden, including a well-known Sheikh 
named al-Diri'ya.  Al-Jabri explained that al-Qaeda appears 
to be losing popular support in Saudi Arabia by targeting the 
oil industry, the nation's source of wealth.  The religious 
sheikhs are starting their attacks on al-Qaeda here based on 
this, he said. Economic Counselor compared the situation to 
that of Egypt after the 1997 terrorist attacks in Luxor, 
which resulted in al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya losing support in 
Upper Egypt because terrorism had damaged Egypt's 
tourist-dependent economy, and caused hardship for many 
citizens.  Al-Jabri agreed that Saudi public was gradually 
coming to realize its economic well being was threatened in 
the same manner by al-Qaeda.  He added that the sheikhs were 
also attacking Al-Qaeda's religious credentials, for 
instance, Bin Laden's misinterpretation of the Prophet 
Mohammed's last words about driving non-Muslims from the 
Arabian Peninsula. 
FRAKER