VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHRH #2100/01 2891300
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 161300Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY RIYADH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6763
INFO RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH PRIORITY 9142
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS RIYADH 002100 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA/ARP, NEA/PI, NEA/PPD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWMN OVIP PHUM PREL SA
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR VISIT OF FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED 
STATES MRS. LAURA BUSH 
 
¶1.  Ambassador Ford M. Fraker and the entire U.S. Mission in 
Saudi Arabia warmly welcome the First Lady of the United 
States Mrs. Laura Bush to Riyadh and Jeddah.  The First 
Lady's visit comes at an opportune moment to underscore the 
importance and strength of the U.S.- Saudi bilateral 
relationship.  The focus of her visit, the launch of the U. 
S.- Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and 
Research, is a new dimension to the relationship that puts 
the spotlight on a matter of human concern common to peoples 
worldwide.  King Abdullah has taken a special interest in 
Mrs. Bush's visit and will be meeting with her in Jeddah. 
Princess Hessa Bent Tarrad Al-Shalan, the King's wife, will 
host Mrs. Bush for a private dinner with other prominent 
Saudi women. 
 
- - - - - 
OVERVIEW 
- - - - - 
 
¶2.  Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Middle East 
and occupies a land area equivalent to the United States east 
of the Mississippi River.  It is a traditional Islamic 
monarchy ruled by King Abdullah, a direct descendant of King 
Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, who established the Kingdom in 1932. 
Saudi Arabia has a Consultative Assembly, the Majlis 
al-Shura, which consists of 150 appointed representatives of 
major regions, families, businesses, and social groupings. 
Saudi Arabia has the largest proven oil reserves in the 
world; hence its importance to the global economy which 
shapes its external relations.  Buoyed by high oil prices, 
the Saudi economy is expected to attain 5.4 percent growth in 
¶2008.  Saudi Arabia joined the World Trade Organization in 
¶2005. 
 
¶3.  Saudi Arabia,s total population is approximately 27 
million, which includes 6.14 million foreigners.  It's 
population is very young, with some sources estimating that 
70 percent of the citizen population is 21 years old or 
younger.  Saudis are ethnic Arabs, but there has been some 
intermingling with Turkish, Iranian, Indonesian, Indian, and 
African peoples.  The majority of the population is Sunni 
Muslim; however, there is a significant non-Muslim population 
primarily comprised of third country nationals, as well as a 
Shi,a Muslim minority of approximately two million. 
 
¶4.  Islam is the official religion, and the Government 
considers it a sacred duty to safeguard the two greatest 
shrines of Islam, located in the holy cities of Mecca and 
Medina. The Great Mosque in Mecca, with the cubed, 
black-draped Kaaba at its open-air center, is the major focal 
point of Islam. It is the Kaaba toward which all Muslims 
pray. Travel by non-Muslims into the cities of Mecca and 
Medina is prohibited.  The public practice of non-Muslim 
religions is prohibited; however, as a matter of policy, the 
government confirmed that it guarantees and protects the 
right to private worship for all, including non-Muslims who 
gather in homes for religious practice.  In September 2004, 
Saudi Arabia was added to the list of Countries of Particular 
Concern on religious freedom issues. 
 
----- 
WOMEN 
----- 
 
¶5.  Law and custom discriminate against women in Saudi 
Arabia.  While they have the right to own property and are 
entitled to financial support from husbands or male 
relatives, women have few political or social rights and are 
not treated as equal members of society.  There are no active 
women's rights groups per se.  Women are increasingly vocal 
about their concerns.  High priority issues  include access 
to greater professional employment opportunities, as well as 
improved educational opportunities for themselves and their 
children.  Domestic violence and frequent divorce are 
additional issues.  Women in Saudi Arabia are restricted 
compared to western standards.  They are not allowed to drive 
and most women do not appear in public alone.  Women cannot 
travel without the permission of their male "guardian," and 
among the more conservative Saudi men, female family members 
are not mentioned in conversation.  Saudi women appear veiled 
in public, wearing the "abaya," the traditional black cloak 
that covers the wearer from head to toe, in some cases, 
including the face.  Segregation of the sexes is strictly 
enforced, and there are separate "women,s sections" in many 
places of employment, including government ministries. 
However, some workplaces, especially those in the 
banking/financial sector, are integrated. 
 
¶6.  Education and economic rights for Saudi women have slowly 
improved in recent years.  Girls were not permitted to attend 
school in Saudi Arabia until 1964, but now more than half of 
the country's university students are female, although 
university campuses are gender-segregated as well.  By royal 
decree, 30 percent of the staffs of government ministries are 
required to be female; however, many ministries still do not 
have female employees and none have achieved the required 
level.  There are increasing employment opportunities for 
women in the private sector.  In 2004, women won the right to 
hold commercial licenses, which opened the door for greater 
economic participation.  In addition, women have become 
somewhat more visible in Saudi society.  For example, in 
2005, Saudi state television began using women as 
newscasters.  Although women are not allowed to practice law 
in Saudi courts, there are a limited number of women lawyers 
and several law programs have recently been established to 
train women in the Kingdom.  In 2006, women gained the right 
to establish their own engineering firms, and there are 
increasingly more female entrepreneurs and business women. 
 
¶7.  Women were not permitted to vote in the 2005 municipal 
council elections, and it remains unclear whether they will 
be allowed to participate in the proposed 2009 elections. 
However, professional organizations such as the local 
chambers of commerce and industry elect members of their 
boards of directors.  In 2005, women were allowed to vote and 
run for positions on the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and 
Industry as well as for the Eastern Province Chamber in 2006. 
 Two women were elected to Jeddah's Chamber Board of 
Directors, which also includes several appointed female 
members. 
 
- - - - - - 
HEALTH CARE 
- - - - - - 
 
¶8.  The government provides Saudi citizens free health care 
from cradle to grave.  Generally medical facilities and 
equipment in major urban centers in Saudi Arabia are 
comparable with what is available in the U.S.  There are many 
male and female Saudi physicians, many of whom are graduates 
of Saudi medical schools.  The Saudis are very supportive of 
scientific research and advancement through such institutions 
as the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology and the 
Saudi university system, as well as the many hospitals in the 
Kingdom.  Many Saudis hold Ph.D,s in the sciences from 
American institutions of higher education and welcome 
interaction with scientists from the U.S. 
 
¶9.  Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in 
Saudi Arabia.  There are no active governmental or private 
screening programs for breast cancer in the Kingdom. 
According to the National Cancer Registry, about 1,000 new 
patients were reported this past year.  The incidence of the 
disease is still lower than other Gulf countries and other 
parts of the world.  However, Saudi medical authorities 
attribute the lower numbers to inadequate screening. 
Incidences are not diagnosed, and not even all of those 
diagnosed are reported.  Saudi medical experts tell us that 
forty percent of cases where patients' cancer has not spread, 
is nonetheless at an advanced stage of the disease.  Breast 
cancer strikes Saudi women at a younger age than the 
worldwide average.  While there are limited efforts in a few 
cities to promote awareness about breast cancer, there are no 
national organizations dedicated to this effort.  In the next 
15 years once the large youth population reaches middle age, 
Saudi medical experts predict the number of breast cancer 
cases will double in the Kingdom. 
 
- - - - - 
EDUCATION 
- - - - - 
 
¶10.  Saudi Arabia has a nationwide public educational system 
comprising primary and secondary schools, colleges and 
universities, as well as technical and training institutions. 
 Over 25 percent of the annual national budget is allotted to 
education, including vocational training.  Students are 
segregated by gender in schools, usually beginning at the age 
of seven.  The Saudi government announced that it is engaged 
in a ten-year effort to revise textbooks, curricula and 
teaching methods. It has undertaken efforts to remove 
intolerant language that deprecates other religions from 
teaching materials.  There has been some progress with fewer 
negative references to non-Muslims, but the process is far 
from complete. 
 
¶11.  Public education, including post-secondary studies-- are 
free to all Saudi citizens.  Historically, a large percentage 
of Saudi students pursued their degrees in the United States, 
particularly in the 1970's and 1980's.  The majority of the 
current Saudi cabinet are U.S. graduates.  The emergence of 
local universities in the Kingdom after this period, coupled 
with an increasingly stressed national budget due to moderate 
oil prices and explosive population growth, meant fewer 
students were later sent to the U.S.  In 2005, the Saudi 
government launched the King Abdullah Scholarship program for 
students to pursue higher education abroad. The U.S. 
continues to host the largest percentage of these students, 
roughly 15,000 in 2006 studying at over 700 U.S. institutions 
of higher learning. 
 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
YOUTH, CULTURE, AND SPORTS 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶12.  The Ministry of Culture and Information is responsible 
for all cultural programs and oversees the activities of the 
King Fahd Cultural Center, the Saudi Society for Culture and 
Arts, the Administration of Folklore and public libraries and 
the literary clubs.  The Ministry supports the development of 
visual arts such as painting and photography, and sponsors 
many art exhibitions each year throughout the Kingdom.  Saudi 
Arabia does not have public movie theaters, and live stage 
dramas and musical events are rare.  Saudi youth do 
participate in boy scout troops which are found in most urban 
centers.  Soccer is a major national passion.  Women rarely 
participate in outside sports, and when they do, it is always 
away from the presence of men.  Women are not permitted to 
attend public sports events. 
 
FRAKER