WEEK OF FEBRUARY 25-MARCH 3, 2002

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COMMENTARY FROM LEADING FIGURES AND MEDIA OUTLETS IN THE ARAB GULF STATES
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GULFWIRE ~ VOICES OF THE REGION ~ TABLE OF CONTENTS

·    INTERVIEW WITH HRH CROWN PRINCE ABDULLAH BIN ABDULAZIZ [Time]
·    SAUDI ARABIAN OFFICIALS PUSH FORWARD ABDULLAH PROPOSAL [Gulf News
       Column]
·    GULF NEWS SAYS: ABDULLAH SHOWS THE WAY [Gulf News Editorial]
·    GULF NEWS SAYS: ISRAEL MUST BE STOPPED  [Gulf News Editorial]
·    LAND FOR PEACE, AGAIN [Jordan Times Editorial]
·    KUWAITI AMBASSADOR DISPUTES GALLUP POLL RESULTS [Interview - MSNBC]
·    ARABS HAVE MUCH WORK TO DO [Gulf News Column]
·    GULF NEWS SAYS: DECLARE THE TARGETS [Gulf News Editorial]
·    GULF NEWS SAYS: ISRAEL ON TRIAL [Gulf News Editorial]
·    GULF NEWS SAYS: A PEACEFUL HAJ [Gulf News Editorial]

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INTERVIEW WITH HRH CROWN PRINCE ABDULLAH BIN ABDULAZIZ
EXCERPTS FROM THE QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION WITH SCOTT MACLEOD -
'TIME' MAGAZINE
February 26, 2002

Time: What is the truth about Saudi-American tensions?
Crown Prince Abdullah: How can a relationship that has been strong and solid
for over six decades be questioned like this? I sense that there is some
resentment about the relationship and of the Kingdom that I frankly don't
understand. Somebody must be trying to drive a wedge. I want to make
something very clear: there is no enmity at all between the Saudi government
and the American government, or between the Saudi people and the American
people.

Time: Has the U.S. military worn out its welcome in Saudi Arabia?
Crown Prince Abdullah: There have been no discussions whatsoever on the
matter. We don't think about raising this issue at all. If and when the time
comes, it will be discussed by both governments.

Time: Do you support or have reservations about America's war on terrorism?
Crown Prince Abdullah: I want to begin by saying that America is a friend.
America's interests are as important to us as our own interests. America
cannot fight this war alone. It will be a tiring, difficult, and expensive
war with human and material losses and it will cause the number of America's
enemies to multiply. America cannot be the sole policeman of the world. I
have a recommendation to make: every nation, under UN auspices, should sign
an international agreement and commit to combating terrorism and drugs. If a
country refuses to combat terrorism and drugs, it should be punished.

Time: Do you favor extending the war to Iran and Iraq, countries in
President Bush's "axis of evil"?
Crown Prince Abdullah: I do not believe that the war on terrorism applies to
Iran and Iraq. If you have a situation [of Iranian or Iraqi terrorism], it
is the result of small fringe groups, and not government policy.

Time: Is Iran a destabilizing influence?
Crown Prince Abdullah: Iran is contributing to stability in the Gulf region.
In the past there were tensions, but these have been worked out. Iran is a
large nation, and it is in its interests and in the interests of all the
Gulf countries to calm matters and maintain stability.

Time: What would you say to an American plan to use force and change the
regime in Iraq?
Crown Prince Abdullah: I have given an answer on this matter to President
Bush, and that is where my answer will remain.

Time: You have criticized the Bush administration on the Palestinian issue,
but what is your solution?
Crown Prince Abdullah: I respond with one word: justice. We have a means and
procedures to reach a solution: the Tenet Plan and the Mitchell Report. On
both sides are human beings who have emotions that affect their actions and
reactions. On one side, we have people, including children, who are being
humiliated, killed, whose trees are being uprooted, and whose land is being
confiscated. This leads them to lose hope and to react. On the other side,
we have people who are subjected to constant violence and begin to lose hope
as well. As a first step, we can separate the two sides and introduce
peacekeepers. And then it will be time to pressure both sides to return to
the negotiating table.

Time: Who should apply this pressure?
Crown Prince Abdullah: If the United States assumes the primary role, it
will give the process great credibility and effectiveness. If the U.S. has
no desire to contribute to this, it should let others do it.

Time: Do you agree that the violence is Arafat's fault?
Crown Prince Abdullah: Arafat cannot control all the Palestinians. He
especially cannot control them while they are being shelled and killed by
the Israelis. The Israeli people may not be the guilty ones. Responsibility
lies squarely with the person who gave the orders. You cannot break out of
this cycle of violence when the Prime Minister of Israel orders planes to
drop bombs and sends tanks to invade villages.

Time: What happens
if Arafat is eliminated either physically or as a peace partner?
Crown Prince Abdullah: May God spare us. It will shake the Arab and Muslim
world and destroy the credibility of anyone who was involved in this move.
Forever.

Time: Has September 11 revealed ills in Saudi society?
Crown Prince Abdullah: What occurred was a horrific crime that changed the
world. Bin Ladin is a deviant who hates America. He hates us too. He used
the resentment that built up against America in the Arab and Muslim world to
try and justify a cruel and inhumane crime. If he were a true Muslim, he
would have committed himself to live by the tenets of his faith.

Time: Some say Saudi-style Islam and your powerful religious establishment
created the climate for bin Ladin.
Crown Prince Abdullah: This is not correct.  Unfortunately, extremism exists
in every faith and in every nation. In the Kingdom, there was extremism by
some scholars, but we see a toning down of it, and I expect that this trend
will continue. Our senior religious scholars took strong public positions
that had a big impact on the more extreme scholars. Some human beings have
narrow or closed minds, regardless of their faith and they do not apply the
noble principles of their faith.

Time: Have your investigations of Al-Qaeda indicated a threat in the
Kingdom?
Crown Prince Abdullah: We take the issue of security very seriously. Until
now, we have not unearthed an Al-Qaeda network inside the Kingdom.

Time: Is the Arab house in order?
Crown Prince Abdullah: No. I suggest that we look inward and reflect on our
condition, and refrain from blaming outsiders or fictitious notions of
colonialism. What we see in the Arab world is division and disunity. If
there was more cohesion, we would have better security and stability, and
would receive greater respect from the rest of the world.

Time: What are Saudi Arabia's biggest challenges?
Crown Prince Abdullah: We had to absorb the cost of the Gulf War as well as
the weakness in the oil markets throughout the last decade. This affected
our economy. We are trying to streamline and diversify, attract investments,
and develop mineral resources besides oil, like gold and phosphates. We are
also dealing with the water shortage and the growth in population.

Time: Shouldn't you be running rather than walking?
Crown Prince Abdullah: It is difficult to change quickly unless you have to.
There is less disruption to the social balance. We are blessed that we can
afford gradual and continuous change.

Source: Saudi Embassy Press Release

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SAUDI ARABIAN OFFICIALS PUSH FORWARD ABDULLAH PROPOSAL
[Gulf News Column - Feb. 28]

It was so refreshing to hear two Saudi officials - Prince Turki Al Faisal,
the former head of Saudi Intelligence, and Adel Al Jubair, the Saudi foreign
policy adviser - speak effectively and convincingly on many American
television programs recently in flawless English explaining Saudi policy in
general and U.S.-Saudi ties, in particular. Both were in full command of the
issues and not in the least intimidated by the probing questions…  Complete
report…

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GULF NEWS SAYS: ABDULLAH SHOWS THE WAY
[Gulf News Editorial - Feb. 27]
…Prince Abdullah's suggestion restates the long established Arab position of
building a peace treaty with Israel based on the formula of land for peace,
but it is very unusual that the initiative has come from the Saudi
government, and that it has been expressed so explicitly and clearly…
Complete report…

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GULF NEWS SAYS: ISRAEL MUST BE STOPPED
[Gulf News Editorial - Mar. 3]

Israel, having made appropriate noises in response to the Saudi peace
initiative, is now out to strangle it. Its latest bloody incursions into
Palestinian refugee camps are designed to detract from the fact that the
initiative is gathering momentum…  Complete editorial…

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LAND FOR PEACE, AGAIN
[Editorial - The Jordan Times - Feb. 28]

In clear and unequivocal language, the Arab world presented Israel this week
with yet another initiative for realizing Middle East peace. What it got in
return, in real terms, was an assertion by Israel that it is not interested.
While the Arabs talk peace, Israel is talking apartheid. This is why the
region is failing to break away from the cycle of violence that has claimed
too many Palestinian and Israeli lives.

The new initiative by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz offers a
comprehensive framework that can lead to a permanent settlement to a
conflict that has persisted for far too long. The Saudi proposal reasserts
the readiness of the Arab world to enter into a full-fledged peace with
Israel in return for an Israeli withdrawal from Arab lands it has illegally
occupied. It is land for peace, once again.

Instead of embracing this new opportunity, the right-wing government of
Ariel Sharon reiterates its determination to build walls that will separate
Israelis from the Palestinians. In actual terms, it is saying apartheid is
what will provide its citizens with security. That is a fallacy. Israelis
should realize by now that nothing but peace can guarantee their security.
Rather than erecting barriers, Israel needs to be building bridges with its
neighbors.

The Saudi initiative provides an Arab overture to which Israel should
respond positively if it is genuinely interested in peace. The proposal
meets all the requirements the international community, and international
resolutions, say are essential for a lasting and comprehensive peace in the
Middle East. It even addresses the demands that many in the Israeli body
politic insist must be the foundation of regional peace.

The Arab League must thus adopt the initiative as a formal Arab position at
the Arab summit in Beirut next month. That will be the test of the current
Israeli government's true intentions.

Unfortunately, all indications are that the Sharon government will fail the
test. Sharon's record demonstrates that he has not managed to shake off his
ideological rejection of peace with the Arabs on the basis of the
land-for-peace formula. It shows that Sharon belongs to an ideology that
wants Israel to exist in the Middle East but does not want it to become part
of it.

Which is more of a reason why the Arabs should adopt Prince Abdullah's
initiative.

The Arab world has made a strategic commitment to a just and lasting peace
in the region. It must continue to work for that objective. Part of this
effort entails exposing Israeli forces that speak peace and act war. Peace
advocates in Israel should contribute to this effort. Fighting the policies
of Sharon should be a priority for all those who want peace in the region.

[Reprinted with permission of The Jordan Times ]

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KUWAITI AMBASSADOR DISPUTES GALLUP POLL RESULTS
[Interview - MSNBC - Feb. 27]

…the Kuwaiti ambassador to the United States has graciously
agreed to come on the program and chat with us a little bit about that this
evening. And I'm very glad to introduce Shaikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jabr
Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ambassador to the United States, who has joined us
tonight. And Mr. Ambassador, I have to put it to you bluntly and I hope that
you will not take offense. But I look at the result of this poll and in my
mind, and in my heart like a lot of Americans I said, look, we stood with
you. Do you think the people of Kuwait, judging by this poll, are not
willing to stand with us now in our time of peril? Because 36 percent, that
's an awful large proportion of the population.

        SALEM AL-SABAH, KUWAITI AMB. TO THE U.S.: Well, first let me say
that I was as shocked as you were reading the figures this morning. I
thought I was reading figures about a country I know nothing of, because
really I was very surprised by these figures. Now, Allan, I have to be very
clear from the beginning, taking polls in Kuwait has always been a risky
business for a very simple reason. Demographically in Kuwait we have a
special situation. Kuwaitis are only 40 percent of the general population.
We are a minority in our own country. Now, I read in the polls this morning
that
       790 Kuwaitis were interviewed. But we don't know. Are they all
Kuwaitis? Is half of them Kuwaitis. Are they all non-Kuwaitis? 1.4 million
people in Kuwait are not Kuwaitis. Only 800,000 are Kuwaitis. I have a lot
of reservations about this poll and I'm very happy to talk about them
further if you like.

        KEYES: Well, does that mean that in your experience — because I have
to tell you. I am one of those folks, as many people in the audience know,
who has been and is very skeptical of a lot of these surveys and polls. I
think the methodologies can be questionable, the results can be skewed, and
so forth and so on. This one, of course, has been blasted all over the
headlines in America.

        But I would like to ask you, do you think that this corresponds to
the Kuwait that you know...

        AL-SABAH: No.

        KEYES: ... and to the people that you know there in terms of their
attitude toward America in this time of crisis?

        AL-SABAH: Not in the least, Alan. Not in the least. First of all, I
have to say I have a lot of respect for the Gallup Poll Organization. I read
their polls regularly. But I don't think this corresponds in the least to
Kuwaiti sentiments.

        When the attacks happened on September 11, there was an outcry in
Kuwait. People held vigil at the American embassy. Hundreds of people rushed
to our blood bank to donate blood. So it does not in the least correspond to
the genuine Kuwaiti feelings towards what's happening.

        Let me give you a small example. The poll says 69 percent of
Kuwaitis are against the war in Afghanistan. Now, our government made it
public by saying the bin Laden tapes are self-incriminating. We've made it
public by saying we stand firmly with the United States in its war against
terrorism in Afghanistan. Now, if 70 percent of the Kuwaiti population were
against that, wouldn't we have heard something about it?

        Now, keep in mind, Alan, that Kuwait is a free society. We have a
free press. We have a parliament, and 30 percent of Kuwaiti homes are wired
to the Internet. Now, when the poll says 70 percent of Kuwaitis are against
a stand my government has taken and we have not heard a peep until this poll
was published, there is something wrong. And that's what makes me a bit
skeptical about this poll.

        And I'd like to take this a little bit further. Earlier this evening
on one of the talk shows, I heard Frank Newport speak from the Gallup Poll.
And he was talking about how they conducted this poll. And this poll was
conducted by means of a questionnaire that had 120 questions. He mentioned
that, in certain instances, it took an hour to get people to answer all the
questions. Now, I don't know about you, Mr. Keyes, but if I had the
questionnaire of 120 questions, after question number 60, I might, you know,
be a bit fuzzy doing it.

        Another thing, if I may add, another thing that makes me a bit
skeptical about this poll, the nine countries surveyed have a population of
over half a billion people. Now, the poll only covers 9,000-plus. Now, that
is a very, very small number. You cannot judge what half a billion people
think by talking to 9,000-something people.

        KEYES: Well, that seems to raise a question then, in your mind,
about the entire poll itself. I mean, are we looking here at a snapshot of
opinion? Because a lot of folks are talking about this as if, well, here we
have it. People in the Islamic world hate America. People — even the fact
that Arabs were involved in the attacks at the World Trade Center, they say
that 61 percent of the folks are denying that this is the case. Do you think
that that in fact corresponds to the state of knowledge or ignorance in the
Islamic world in general?

        AL-SABAH: I think certain people in the Islamic world are still in a
state of unbelief because our religion preaches peace. So they find it hard
to believe that a Muslim, who also preaches himself to be going by the way
of Islam, could do a thing like that. I think they are still in denial. And
it's very hard for some Muslims to believe that a Muslim would do such a
crime because it goes contrary to all of our beliefs.

        But as I mentioned, I have a lot of reservations about this poll.
And I hear that there are other polls that are going to be done in the
region and they are going to be more widespread. They are going to cover all
Islamic countries. So let's wait and see if the results are identical.

        KEYES: If, however, this poll does reflect a state of knowledge or
ignorance, don't you think that governments in the Islamic world have an
obligation to take positive steps that would help to correct these
misimpressions? Because I think that's one of the things that I immediately
thought of, in terms of the fact that if you just leave them out there it
could lead to tremendous difficulties, even in relationships where we have
mutual and common interests. Don't you think the governments have an
obligation to try to get the truth out there?

        AL-SABAH: Well, I can only speak for Kuwait in this instance. And I
'm sure that the government of Kuwait will take some steps in this regard.
But again, I truly believe that this poll we saw is highly — does not
reflect the sentiments in my country at least. I know that for a fact.

        KEYES: Mr. Ambassador, I want to thank you for joining us tonight
and for sharing your thoughts with us. I want to express my personal hope
that what you say is in fact true, because I think that the work that we
were able to accomplish together on behalf of the liberation of Kuwait was a
demonstration of what people around the world can do in response to an act
of aggression that tramples on the rights of a small and innocent people who
have provoked nobody.

        And I think that we need to keep that example untarnished and lay it
as a basis for continued cooperation between our peoples and amongst other
folks. And I hope that this poll is in fact a misimpression. Thank you for
joining me tonight. I really appreciate it.

        AL-SABAH: Thank you, Alan.

Source: KIO

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ARABS HAVE MUCH WORK TO DO
[Gulf News Column - Feb. 3]

…Since we have polled in the Middle East, I was also concerned that some of
the data did not coincide with what I know of the region. For example, the
extremely negative attitudes that Gallup found in Kuwait – almost twice as
negative as all of the countries included in the poll-simply didn't ring
true.  After a closer examination of the details of the poll, I began to see
serious methodological problems. For example, there was an exceptionally
large number of non-Kuwaitis included in the Kuwait numbers.  Gallup finally
admitted this fact after two days and acknowledged that this was responsible
for the very anti-U.S. bent in that country's results. While it was useful
for the record, it came too late to spare Kuwait from two days of extremely
harsh negative attacks…  Complete column…

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GULF NEWS SAYS: DECLARE THE TARGETS
[Gulf News Editorial - Mar. 3]
The major worry is that the Americans will use the excuse of fighting terror
to expand its military interventions around the world. The danger is that
American unilateral action will expand and America's friends will be unable
to support such unstructured military interventions…  Complete editorial…

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GULF NEWS SAYS: ISRAEL ON TRIAL
[Gulf News Editorial - Mar. 1]

Israel's much vaunted freedoms and democracy have been placed in the dock.
Its most prominent legislator of Arab origin, one who was once seen as a
future prime minister of the Jewish state, has been put on trial for a
speech he made…  Complete editorial…

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GULF NEWS SAYS: A PEACEFUL HAJ
[Gulf News Editorial - Feb. 27]

The Saudi government is to be congratulated on a trouble-free Haj. The
festival is the largest gathering in the world with around 1.8 million
people performing the Haj over the two-week period. It is greatly to the
credit of the Saudi government that the pilgrimage passed off without
serious incident or loss of life…  Complete editorial…

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EDITOR'S COMMENT
GulfWire does not take an editorial position on the issues and opinions
reported here and aims to remain objective in coverage of developments in
the Arab Gulf states. However, it is important that among the insights we
provide, we bring the reality of contemporary opinion in the Gulf even if it is sometimes stinging to the targets of its criticism.  We hope to
illuminate not infuriate. For those who rely on an understanding of
developments in the region to ignore the reality of public and official
sentiments in the Gulf is to move forward in these relationships at their
peril.

Patrick W. Ryan
Editor-in-Chief, GulfWire
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