The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Sultan held talks with Karen Hughes, US undersecretary for public diplomacy and a close confidante of President George W. Bush, in this eastern Saudi city on Tuesday. During the meeting, also attended by Saudi foreign minister Saud al Faisal and other high-ranking officials, Hughes conveyed the presidentâs warmest regards to the Saudi monarch. She also praised King Abdullah for promoting tolerance and dialogue in Saudi society. She expressed her happiness at visiting Saudi Arabia and hoped she could contribute to strengthen relations between the two allies. The undersecretary commended Saudi Arabiaâs efforts in the fighting terrorism. âI salute the Kingdomâs efforts to work with us to combat terrorism,â she said. Her comments came as the White House released a memorandum by President Bush to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice indicating, âI attest to that Saudi Arabia is cooperating in the global war on terrorism.â Hughesâ visit is part of a listening tour of the region which includes stopovers in three Middle Eastern countries, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey following her appointment to improve the image of the United States and to listen to a wide spectrum of opinions on the current administration. Hughes arrived in the coastal city of Jeddah late Monday from the Egyptian capital accompanied by a number of US journalists and immediately met with Saudi Minsiter Information, Iyad Madani.
On Tuesday, the undersecretary held a 90-minute open discussion with several students and faculty members from Dar al Hekma, a private college for women in Jeddah, to inquire about their views of America and hear their criticisms and objections to US policies. The discussion centered on womenâs rights and the importance of work and education. Members of the audiences remarked Hughes shied away form responding to questions on US plans to improve its reputation in the region and address Arab and Islamic concerns.
| Yeah, balah blah blah. It's a barely rewritten press release. Y'gotta do this now and then. She also beat 'em up over the hate literature they're supplying to the fundo schools in the U.S., but the press release doesn't dwell on that. |
| And we are addressing Arab concerns. See the liberation of 19 million Arab people in Iraq. See the on-going liberalization of Arab society in places like Bahrain, Qatar and Lebanon. See a whole region of people beginning to ask, with American assistance, the question every dictator dreads: "you know, you're kinda stupid. Who put you in charge?" |