VZCZCXRO5843
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHGI RUEHJS RUEHKUK RUEHLH
RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHRH #1671/01 3611014
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 271014Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY RIYADH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2123
INFO RUEHDH/AMCONSUL DHAHRAN PRIORITY 0404
RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH PRIORITY 0512
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0748
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0059
RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 RIYADH 001671 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR IO/HR AND NEA/ARP JHARRIS AND JBERNDT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL KISL PGOV KDEM OPDC SA
SUBJECT: IO/DRL (KESHAP) VISIT BEGINS DIALOGUE ON 
DEFAMATION ISSUES 
 
REF: A. STATE 128320 
     ¶B. STATE 128322 
 
RIYADH 00001671  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: During a December 19 meeting Deputy FM for 
Multilateral Affairs, HH Dr. Torki told IO/HR Director Keshap 
and Senior Human Rights Policy Advisor Ostermeier that the 
SAG was prepared to consider working with the U.S. on a new 
approach to the defamation issue in the UN context.  Prince 
Torki agreed to continue the conversation after the SAG had a 
chance to more carefully review the U.S. action plan on 
combating racial and religious intolerance presented during 
the October 2009 meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee on 
Complementary Standards in Geneva.  The proposal also 
resonated with the Human Rights Commission President, who 
said the proposal "coincides with the King's Policy."  The 
National Society for Human Rights, as an NGO, could not 
comment on the proposal per se.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
PRINCE TORKI VIEWS U.S. INITIATIVE AS IN LINE WITH INTERFAITH 
DIALOGUE, WELCOMES COOPERATION 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) A joint IO/DRL Briefing Team consisting of IO/HR 
Office Director Atul Keshap and Senior Human Rights Policy 
Advisor Amy Ostermeier travelled to Riyadh December 18 - 19 
to discuss defamation issues with senior Saudi officials.  In 
a two-hour December 19 meeting with the Deputy Minister for 
Multilateral Affairs, HH Dr. Torki bin Mohammad bin Saud 
Al-Kabeer to discuss the Secretary's letter to Foreign 
Ministers (ref A), IO/HR Director Atul Keshap outlined U.S. 
efforts to show leadership in a constructive and productive 
way at the UN on the issue of how Muslim minorities are 
treated in various parts of the world.  The IO/HR Director 
discussed U.S. efforts towards a joint resolution with Egypt 
to reduce tensions between Islamic countries and the West on 
the issue of freedom of expression.  He noted that these 
issues became politicized in UNGA and UNHCR and expressed the 
USG's wish to work more closely with Organization of the 
Islamic Conference (OIC) countries on issues pertaining to 
Human Rights.  The U.S. hoped they could join in an approach 
that would encourage actual protection of religious 
minorities.  Keshap said the USG was committed to reducing 
tensions, enhancing mutual understanding, and finding a way 
forward that validated Muslim concerns and experiences 
abroad, and that also did not cross U.S. redlines by calling 
for mandatory prohibitions on speech.  He recalled the U.S. 
long struggle with racial and religious discrimination and 
noted the Department of Justice's and the Department of 
Homeland Security's recent efforts as well as White House and 
Department of State outreach on the civil rights of Muslims 
and other religious minorities.  He noted the U.S. initiative 
was in line with the President's Cairo speech by establishing 
a dialogue and reaching out to U.S. allies to overcome the 
seemingly insurmountable divide concerning religion, 
stressing how the U.S. model legally protects the free 
practice of religion and allows the integration of Muslims 
across society. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Dr. Prince Torki began the meeting with some 
friendly chiding for the Briefing Team's waiting so long to 
visit Riyadh and for coordinating with Egypt first.  Prince 
Torki said he was "very impressed" with what he was hearing 
and "welcomed working" with the USG on these issues and in 
particular on the vision of the new administration.  He noted 
the misperceptions about Islam resulting from acts of 
terrorism and said the international community needed to work 
together to overcome these issues.  He spoke about King 
Abdullah's Interfaith Dialogue Initiative, which he 
characterized as designed to protect the rights of religious 
minorities, noting that the creation of a dialogue and the 
establishment of bridges would diminish misunderstanding. 
However, Dr. Torki took a different perspective on the issue 
of Freedom of Speech.  He said that from the Saudi 
perspective, although the SAG respected Freedom of Speech, it 
was "too personal" and it "could not be considered freedom" 
to give a person the right "to start attacking" another.  He 
said "the element of hatred needed to be removed" and that 
"one should not allow people in the name of freedom to 
criticize me or you." 
 
¶4. (SBU)  Concerning discrimination against Muslims, Prince 
Torki reaffirmed that while the U.S. had some work to do 
 
RIYADH 00001671  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
(particularly, in his view, on visa and U.S. entry issues), 
he said his problems, and the problems of most in the OIC, 
are not with the U.S. but with some key countries in Europe. 
He noted that the incidents like the Danish cartoons and the 
minaret ban in Switzerland were humiliating for Muslims and 
suggested that such negative actions violate their human 
rights and are unacceptable.  He repeatedly referred to the 
importance of respecting all religions. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Regarding the details of a potential joint 
initiative at the UNHRC, Prince Torki said he fully respected 
the U.S. Constitution and recognized that "of course" the 
United States could not accept any language at the UN that 
would cross any constitutional red line.  Unfortunately, he 
also said the Durban process was "essential" to the SAG, and 
believed that it was an important vehicle for the "creation 
of a constructive dialogue" with Saudi culture and for the 
recognition of the need to protect religions and religious 
symbols. 
 
¶6. (SBU) As the Briefing Team explained the U.S. concern with 
the Durban prohibition language, Prince Torki asked 
repeatedly why Europe did not understand or respect U.S. red 
lines.  The Briefing Team explained that multiple countries 
in Europe had bans on certain speech, such as on Holocaust 
denial, while they did not ban other insulting speech. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Prince Torki was extremely interested in the details 
of the USG proposals.  At his request, the Briefing Team left 
copies of the U.S. Action Plan and the Freedom of Expression 
resolution from September for his further examination. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Prince Torki also repeatedly mentioned King 
Abdullah's interfaith dialogue initiative, and noted that the 
U.S. should not let too much time pass before building on the 
U.S. - Saudi cooperation on King Abdullah's interfaith 
dialogue initiative at the UN in the fall of 2008. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Prince Torki ended the meeting by noting his 
frustration with the Administration's "inadequate attention" 
to the Israel-Palestine issue, and the "abuses of human 
rights committed by Israel."  Prince Torki asserted that the 
"illegal settlements" and the enlargement of settlements in 
Israel were a "stumbling block" to peace and stressed that 
from the SAG's perspective the U.S. was "the only country 
that can stop them."  He mentioned the Goldstone report and 
noted it had been hoped that the new U.S administration would 
bring a new approach to solving the Israeli-Palestinian 
conflict.  The SAG felt the "U.S. had not used its strength" 
and had "not said what was acceptable and what wasn't."  The 
SAG would like to see the U.S. in the role of "a neutral 
mediator."  He said that not being forceful on this issue was 
giving Iran and Hamas more room to achieve their objectives. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Prince Torki concluded the meeting by stating the 
SAG's relationship with the U.S. is a broad friendship not 
only based on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, and noted that 
"is the instruction we have from our bosses." 
 
 
HRC SAYS U.S. INITIATIVE COINCIDES WITH KING'S POLICY 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) Keshap and Ostermeier had a separate meeting on 
December 19 with Human Rights Commission (HRC) President 
Bandar Al-Aiban, who said the action plan and U.S. resolution 
looked to be "taken from the text of King Abdullah."  He 
noted that the SAG delegation had raised discrimination, 
interfaith dialogue and Human Rights education issues at the 
last UN session and was taking concrete steps to implement 
them. He assured the Briefing Team of the HRC's "sincere 
consideration" of the resolution and action plan, praising 
U.S. efforts as "practicing leadership in the right 
direction."  He promised that the HRC would support the U.S. 
in its advocacy for greater dialogue and said he appreciated 
the U.S. presence on the Human Rights Council and was 
"looking forward to greater coordination in Geneva on matters 
of mutual concern."  Al-Aiban said he wanted a program to 
"enhance the relationship," a program that would "resonate 
with the rest of the European capitals" which would then 
"emulate the Americans."  Keshap noted that if the document 
were turned into a resolution, it could include language from 
the King's initiative.  Dr. Al-Aiban agreed, noting this 
 
RIYADH 00001671  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
would make it a document "all of us can be proud of." 
 
¶12. (SBU) Al-Aiban raised a few SAG concerns with U.S. 
culture and policy. He said Saudi Arabia had taken tremendous 
risks in standing by the U.S. as an ally when others did not 
and noted that in spite of this, the U.S. media and political 
culture were hostile to Saudi Arabia.  He said this affected 
the standing of the U.S. in the eyes of the Muslims. 
Moreover, he noted that the SAG's efforts to promote Human 
Rights should be reflected in the reporting by the State 
Department.  (Comment: In an earlier conversation with 
PolOff, Al-Aiban had opined that the Human Rights-related 
reports were highly political and did not reflect the true 
state of affairs in Saudi Arabia.  However, Al-Aiban has been 
instrumental in implementing Saudi Arabia's new Trafficking 
in Persons law passed as head of a committee appointed to 
build an enforcement infrastructure to improve Saudi Arabia's 
performance on these issues.)  Al-Aiban asserted that the 
reports must be viewed in the context of the Muslim world as 
a whole and go beyond the borders of Saudi Arabia.  Lastly, 
Al-Aiban said the SAG was "disappointed" with the lack of 
implementation of President Obama's Cairo speech concerning 
the Israeli-Palestinian question, noting that this was a 
Human Rights issue that the U.S. needed to address. 
 
¶13. (SBU) When Keshap mentioned that the U.S. had drafted a 
joint resolution with Egypt after being seated on the Human 
Rights Council, Al-Aiban also claimed disappointment, saying 
the team should have come to Riyadh and Pakistan first 
because they were at the forefront of fighting for a 
"moderate" position in a "proper context." Al-Aiban also 
noted Iran was using the treatment of Muslims in the U.S. and 
Europe to incite hatred against the U.S. and Europe. 
 
NSHR NEUTRAL ON THE ISSUE, RAISES OTHER CONCERNS 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶14. (SBU) National Society for Human Rights President Mufleh 
Al-Qahtani welcomed the Briefing Teams' ideas more 
cautiously, noting that President Obama could greatly improve 
the U.S.'s reputation in the Arab world if he would make good 
on the promises of his Cairo speech, including solving the 
Palestinian - Israeli conflict. He expressed his dismay at 
the U.S. non-support of the Goldstone Report, noting the U.S. 
was clear on its position on the defamation of Israel and 
Jews but unclear when it came to Muslims. NSHR hoped the USG 
would protect human rights of all individuals regardless of 
its political ambitions or interests. 
 
¶15. (SBU) Al-Qahtani asked for information on Saudi detainees 
in Guantanamo and raised the Homaidan Al-Turki case involving 
a Saudi doctoral student sentenced to 28 years in prison by a 
Colorado District Court. Al-Qahtani asserted the case was 
unjust and the sentence extreme and asked about the 
possibility of a prisoner exchange that would allow Homaidan 
Al-Turki to serve his sentence in Saudi Arabia. "We don't 
have any Americans yet who have this long a sentence, thirty 
years, but maybe we can have some in the future," he said. 
He claimed that the case, which is known in every Saudi 
household and is attributed to "hatred of Islam," is a 
stumbling block in the path of improved Saudi-U.S. relations. 
SMITH