VZCZCXRO0839
PP RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHDH #0099/01 1310757
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 110757Z MAY 09
FM AMCONSUL DHAHRAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0126
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHDH/AMCONSUL DHAHRAN 0157

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAHRAN 000099 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PASS TO NEA/ARP JOSH HARRIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  5/6/2019 
TAGS: SA PGOV ECON ENRG
SUBJECT: KING ABDULLAH MAKES AN UNSCHEDULED VISIT TO THE EASTERN 
PROVINCE 
 
REF: DHAHRAN 46 
 
DHAHRAN 00000099  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Joseph A. Kenny, Consul General, EXEC, DOS. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
¶1. (C) KEY POINTS: 
 
 
 
-- King Abdullah made a last minute, unscheduled visit to the 
Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia from April 26 to May 1. 
 
 
 
-- During his visit he launched $14.4 billion worth of projects 
in Jubail, including the world's largest desalination plant. 
 
 
 
-- The King met with King Abdullah II of Jordan and U.S. Special 
Advisor for the Gulf and Southwest Asia Ambassador Dennis Ross 
while in the region. 
 
 
 
-- Some skeptical members of the business community and the 
Shi'a leadership described the King's visit as merely a 
"photo-op." 
 
 
 
End key points. 
 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) WELCOME TO THE EAST.  Normally when the King visits the 
Eastern Province (EP) he makes the announcement well in advance 
of his arrival.  However, this time he gave only a couple of 
days notice to his staff and the newspapers only found out the 
day he arrived in the EP.  Despite being home to virtually all 
of the nation's oil production and a majority of its industrial 
output, this was only King Abdullah's third visit to the EP 
since ascending the throne in 2005.  Nevertheless, private 
citizens and companies displayed their appreciation with 
hastily-converted, giant billboards welcoming the King along the 
highways and major thoroughfares, as well as full-page 
advertisements taken out in the local papers to the same effect. 
 One newspaper headline described the King's visit as sparking 
"jubilation" in the EP. 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) LAUNCHING BIG TICKET INDUSTRIAL PROJECTS.  The King 
spent one day during his visit at the Jubail Industrial City 
where he ceremoniously launched several industrial projects 
worth $14.4 billion.  Among the big ticket projects was the 
world's largest combination desalination and power generation 
plant.  This gas-fired power plant will generate 2,750 Megawatts 
of electricity and the associated desalination plant will 
produce 800,000 cubic meters of water daily for consumption in 
the EP.  The papers quoted Saudi officials at the launching as 
saying that the King was showing the world that big investments 
will go forward in Saudi Arabia despite the global economic 
downturn. 
 
 
 
¶4. (C) OFFICIAL BUSINESS.  Aside from tours of facilities and 
industrial projects, the King held his Council of Ministers 
meeting (i.e., cabinet-level meeting) in Dammam.  Also, King 
Abdullah II of Jordan and a delegation headed by U.S. Special 
Advisor Ambassador Dennis Ross held official meetings with the 
Saudi monarch.  (Note:  Results of the meeting between 
Ambassador Ross, the King and other high level Saudi officials 
follow septel.  End note.)  Post contacts were hard-pressed to 
remember when there were so many high-level Saudi officials in 
the EP at the same time.  A contact in the governor of the EP's 
office noted that the governor, Prince Mohammed bin Fahd (MbF), 
was due to depart the Kingdom for vacation in the South of 
France when he got the call that the King was coming to visit. 
MbF is notorious for spending months out of the year abroad and 
one well-connected businessman thinks that the spontaneity of 
the visit might have been meant to send a message to MbF that he 
should spend more time in the Kingdom. 
 
 
 
¶5. (C) QUIET CRITICISM OF THE KING'S VIST.  On separate 
occasions, both prominent Sunni businessmen and influential 
Shi'a interlocutors told PolOff that the King's visit was 
nothing more than a "photo-op."  The businessmen are concerned 
about the Saudi economy and their confidence has been shaken by 
the frequent news reports of project delays and still 
hard-to-find cash.  They were hoping that the King would call on 
 
DHAHRAN 00000099  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
the large merchant families to listen to their concerns 
directly.  As for the Shi'a, a number of their religious leaders 
requested a private meeting with the King through governor MbF's 
office.  According to a long-time Shi'a contact, MbF told them 
that if they made a public statement condemning the 
controversial Shi'a Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr (see ref A for more info 
on al-Nimr) he would grant the meeting with the King.  Instead 
the Shi'a leaders drafted a statement reiterating their support 
for the King and his government.  They were denied the private 
meeting. 
KENNY