Like many other countries and societies, Saudi Arabia thrashes around when it comes to thinking about sex education for children. Conservatives are against it; human rights workers are for it. Some feel it introduces ‘bad ideas’ in the heads of innocent children. Others think it necessary to protect children from behaviors they may not even know are perverse.
Arab News reports that an imam from the religiously ultra-conservative area of Buraidah has come out calling for sex-ed. That is something noteworthy as that area tends to be the first to reject anything that hasn’t marinated in tradition for at least a thousand years.
The issue shows up a paradox in Saudi society as well. Islam, notably different from Christianity, actually extols the virtues of a good sex life. But traditions have made sex (at least extra-marital sex) into one of the greatest tar pits confronting mankind. Society’s default assumption seems to be that if an unrelated man and woman are together in the same room, sex is going to happen, it cannot be prevented, and it’s likely the woman’s fault. Perhaps sex education for adults is a good idea, too!
Scholar calls for sex education to protect children from abuse
WALAA HAWARI | ARAB NEWSRIYADH: A sheikh in the traditionally conservative Buraidah region has called for the introduction of sex education in schools.
Saleh Al-Wanyan, imam of Muhammad Bin Abdul Wahab Mosque, raised the issue in a Friday sermon calling for citizens to be more open about the controversial and taboo subject.
He also called on people to put an end to a so-called “culture of shame” by talking about these issues.
Scholars and literate people have long demanded the introduction of sex education into the curriculum. But conservative sections of society have always been vocal in their opposition to the initiative.
Their opposition is given credence by their claims that the idea of sex education is alien to Saudi culture. They also claim that this issue violates the privacy of individuals and families.
Al-Wanyan’s call is supported by the Arab League, which too had urged a need for sex education in schools.
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The new Saudi governmental program to replace foreign workers with Saudi nationals is bringing back the practice of hiring ‘notional employees’. These are people who are hired solely on the basis of their nationality, with little or no concern paid to whether they can actually perform the jobs for which they are hired. Nitiqat shares the same goals as earlier Saudization programs and the response of some employers is the same: Cheat until they get caught.
As this Arab News article makes clear, while this may temporarily stay the penalties for not meeting employment goals, it’s expensive and wasteful. Paying people, even little salaries, just to show up and sign in, does not resolve the problem. No work is actually being done, but new costs are being assessed. This was a problem under previous programs. Now that the government is asserting more power in punishing companies that do not have sufficient numbers of Saudis on their rolls, the problem is growing. Some, according to the article, say it shows that the program is a failure.
To survive, companies hiring unqualified Saudis
DIANA AL-JASSEM | ARAB NEWSJEDDAH: The introduction of the Nitaqat system has caused concern among many companies in the red category. Consequently, some have rushed to employ Saudis, even if they are not qualified, to escape from this category. Other companies have begun reducing the number of foreign workers.
In the Nitaqat system, companies are classified into three categories: red, yellow and green. Companies in the yellow category are given a grace period of nine months and those in the red category six months to improve their status by hiring more Saudis before facing punitive measures. Yellow companies will not be able to extend their foreign employees’ work visas beyond six years, while red companies will be unable to renew their foreign workers’ visas at all. Companies in the green category are in an excellent position. They have achieved the Saudization percentage target.
Most companies have started hiring Saudis, even if they are unqualified.
Khalid Al-Ghamdi, human resource manager at Alshiaka, said: “Companies have begun hiring less qualified or even unqualified Saudis to get away from the red category and to fill positions. This will negatively affect the Saudi labor market and stop the development of the employee and the country.”
He added, “Most companies are now hiring Saudis with low salaries, demanding that they only show up and register their name in the daily attendance sheet. This causes the companies huge losses.”
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Arab News runs a piece on fathers who abandon their children following a divorce. There’s a bit of a language issue here, though. In the West, ‘alimony’ and ‘child support’ are considered two separate matters. They are under Islamic law as well. Alimony is essentially non-existent under Islamic law, except for the brief, three-month period following the dissolution of a marriage during which it is determined that the wife is not pregnant with her husband’s child, iddat. In some respects, the bridal gift, mahr, may serve, but that is a separate contract, viewed under Islamic law as not part of the marriage, but one that can be made only in the context of a marriage.
Child support, though, is a given. Fathers are responsible for (at least part of) their children’s expenses, whether or not the children are living with him. This is where problems are now arising. Because some fathers are neglecting their duty to pay child support, there is a move to have the payments—as decided by the courts—taken directly from their bank accounts. That doesn’t seem a problem to me. In the US, delinquent child-support payments can be taken directly from a father’s paycheck or from any monies he might be owed by state or federal governments, e.g. tax refunds.
I note that while Islamic law is pretty clear on the obligation to pay child support, the way the law is implemented varies considerably by country.
Alimony row: Why do men court trouble?
JOUD AL-AMRI | ARAB NEWSAutomatic bank deductions proposed for ‘cheating dads’
They said the payment should come in the form of a direct deduction from the fathers’ bank accounts and transfered to their ex-wives’ accounts.
Ex-wives interviewed by Arab News claimed that fathers often left the financial burden of raising their children with them after divorce.
They also highlighted the cases of fathers who tend to ignore the alimony requests for children.
The aggrieved women are proposing that courts should facilitate salary deductions from the fathers’ bank accounts.
Saudi lawyer Omar Al-Kholi points out that there is no law to force a father to pay alimony to his children.
An ex-wife will have to file a lawsuit and wait for one to two years for the court ruling.
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A day after King Abdullah spoke about the declining situation in Syria and the Kingdom withdrew its ambassador from Damascus, Saudi media report on reception of the King’s speech. Arab News editorializes on the issue, pointing out that 2011 is not 1982 and Syria cannot simply reprise the slaughter that took place at Hama:
Danger in Syria
There has to be immediate dialogue between the govt
and the oppositionArab governments and public alike are well aware that the situation in Syria, if mishandled, could explode with devastating consequences both internally and regionally. But the crisis has gone too far. Fears about future potential violence become meaningless when widespread violence is already a reality. The policy of “wait and see” based on the hope that the Syrian government will act intelligently and responsibly in the face of protests is no longer an option. That hope has been in vain. The violence, almost all of it committed by government forces, is growing at a frightening pace. In the past week as many as 300 civilians are reported to have been killed, mostly in the city of Hama, scene of the 1982 massacre when Syrian troops responded to protests then by killing at least 20,000 people. There, on Friday, tanks pounded the city as if intent on repeating the horrors of 1982 and terrorizing the inhabitants into submission. With seemingly similar intent, tanks pounded the city of Deir Al-Zour for the second day running, yesterday, killing at least 50 more. The rise in the death toll is the sharpest so far in the five-month uprising and takes the total estimate of people killed to around 2,000.
This is not the behavior of a government intent on finding a workable solution to the country’s crisis. It is the response of a regime desperate to hang onto power at all costs, a regime that is prepared to kill as many of its citizens as necessary to achieve that goal.
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Saudi Gazette collects international reaction, including that of international organizations.
Abdullah’s stand on Syria unrest gets wide welcome
JEDDAH — Several regional and international organizations and leaders, including influential opposition figures in Syria Monday widely welcomed the stand adopted by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, toward the unrest in Syria.
Late Sunday, King Abdullah recalled the Kingdom’s ambassador to Syria, slammed the government’s crackdown on protesters as “unacceptable” and called for Damascus to make “comprehensive reforms” to meet the aspirations of its people.
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Arab News runs a similar article, but keeps its focus more on reactions within Saudi Arabia. It includes Syrian expats working in the Kingdom as well as mention of the various types of economic assistance Saudi Arabia has given Syria and the possibility of a boycott of Syrian oil exports. Given the state of global markets, I’m not sure that a reduction in international oil supplies would be welcomed, but it might be necessary…
King’s stand a clear message to Syria
GHAZANFAR ALI KHAN & GALAL FAKKAR | ARAB NEWSRIYADH/JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s strong statement denouncing Syria’s use of brutal force against peaceful demonstrators has won the hearts of Saudis and expatriates alike.
Top officials in Saudi Arabia including Shoura members, heads of Islamic organizations and academics lent their support Monday to the call made by the king to stop the bloodshed in Syria and initiate necessary reforms to ensure peace in the strife-torn country.
“Syrian President Bashar Assad has lost the legitimacy to rule,” said Hamza Khoshain, a member of the Shoura Council, in Riyadh on Monday. “King Abdullah has sent a clear message to the Syrian regime by recalling the Saudi ambassador for consultations and by asking Damascus to rectify the situation as soon as possible.”
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This article from the Arabic Al-Eqtisadiah, translated by Arab News, starts out with a lament over the bad press Saudi Arabia gets for its treatment of expat workers. It goes on to suggest that ‘friendship societies’ might help ameliorate the friction between Saudis and their imported labor. The societies would watch that the workers’ rights were protected. It might work. Current laws clearly aren’t working satisfactorily as the next story in Arab News makes pretty clear: Indian worker repatriated after 13 stranded years in Kingdom.
It’s obvious that something need be done, but just what is the matter of the debate. Strong laws that are enforced should be the primary point. Reorganization of the current, chaotic system with dozens of employment agencies—good and bad—handling hundreds of thousands of workers and their paperwork is necessary. Perhaps one or two tightly-regulated companies, holding ultimate responsibility for overseeing expat labor might work. It’s pretty clear, too, that the number of expat workers is going to be dropping over the coming years as more jobs are restricted to Saudis. Getting investors interested in a business with declining prospects is going to be a hard sell. Whatever the fix is, though, is going to take more than a ‘friendly smile’.
Local Press: Expatriates — between the oppressor and oppressed
ALI AL-SHIDDI | AL-EQTISADIAHThe anti-Saudi campaign unleashed by Indonesian and Filipino media following a few isolated incidents of housemaid abuse has triggered many discussions on the state of the expatriates in the Kingdom.
An objective look at the issue would, however, show that expatriates, the majority of them housemaids, could not totally be justified or blamed for the present dilemma.
The expatriate worker is clearly to blame if his presence in the Kingdom is illegal, if he cheats in his work or is engaged in criminal activities. We, Saudis, do not want such people in the Kingdom, even if it means our work would be stalled in their absence.
On the other hand, foreign workers are most welcome, provided they are legitimate residents, hardworking and law-abiding.
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The big news of the day is Saudi Arabia’s pulling it ambassador from Syria. (Kuwait did likewise.) Al-Arabiya TV reports that King Abdullah announced the move as a reaction to the bloodshed that has flowed through the streets of several Syrian cities. Al-Jazeera TV carries a similar report. The Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the Syrian government’s action in trying to put down popular dissent; the Arab League also expressed its displeasure.
Saudi pulls envoy from Syria,
denounces violence, urges end to bloodshed
By MUSTAPHA AJBAILI — Al ArabiyaSaudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz demanded an end to the bloodshed in Syria and recalled his country’s ambassador from Damascus, in a rare case of one of the Arab world’s most powerful leaders intervening against another.
In a surprise speech early Monday, the Saudi monarch said that Syria’s future lies in choosing between wisdom or chaos. It was the sharpest criticism the oil giant has directed against any Arab state since a wave of protests roiled the Middle East and toppled autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt.
“The Kingdom today stands up to its historical responsibilities towards its brothers,” King Abdullah said in a speech statement obtained by Al Arabiya TV.
“The repercussions of the events in Syria are not part of the religion, nor values, nor ethics,” King Abdullah added.
“The Syrian government knows Saudi Arabia’s past positions towards it,” the King added, calling upon the Syrian regime of Bashar Al Assad to implement immediate comprehensive reforms.
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Arab News‘s coverage has been primarily news agency reports, the latest a compendium.
I see the Saudi government as conflicted about the issue of Syria. At its heart, the Saudi government does not want to see heads of government challenged and thrown out of power. It has propped up the Syrian regime over decades, seeing it as the legitimate government. Now, however, that legitimacy is being questioned. If the Ba’ath Party regime falls, good things are likely to happen regionally, if not precisely in Syria. Since the 1980s, Syria has been Iran’s entry into the Arab world. Notoriously, during the Iran-Iraq war, Syria was allied with Iran. Syria has served as a conduit for Iranian arms, money, and influence in the region, affecting Lebanese politics (and chaos) as well as supporting rejectionist groups in the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. Having a less-friendly-to-Iran government in Syria would very much serve long-term Saudi interests. Whether that happens, though, is going to depend on whether the Assad group can stay in power. It seems to me that while it is winning some aspects of the conflict through repressive military action, it will not be able to continue much longer. Syria is still too dependent on foreign largesse to make up shortfalls in its own economic activity. A cutback by the Saudis or other GCC states will only tighten the vise.
There are various pieces in print and on the Internet that suggest Saudi motivation to be based purely on Sunni-Shi’a conflict. The minority Alawite group from which the Assad regime springs is seen as a Shi’ite sect—when it’s seen as being Muslim at all. It has served to protect minority religions interests at the expense of the majority Sunnis, sort of a mirror-image of the situation in Bahrain. The commentators seem to believe that the alternative to Alawite/Shi’a rule is rule by fundamentalist Islamists, primarily the Muslim Brotherhood. I don’t think that’s the case. While the MB are certainly active and present, they do not represent a hugely popular group, particularly in their restrictive views on culture and society. If nothing else, the Ba’ath Party pushed women’s equality in the workplace to every aspect of daily life. Iranian influence curbed many of the more liberal aspects of Syrian life and I don’t think the Syrians are looking for another repressive group to substitute for them.
Arab News translates a provocative—to say the least!—article from Arabic daily Al-Riyadh. Writer Mazen Al-Sudairy is musing about the role of expatriates in Saudi Arabia. To do so, he offers contrasts between the American (and Western, in general) and Saudi Arabian ethics and the basis of their political systems. He either misreads history and politics or has been severely damaged by post-colonial rhetoric that abounds in Arab education.
As far as the US goes, I think a reading of the Declaration of Independence—a foundational document if there ever was one—spells out pretty clearly that ‘justice’ is a primary goal. The words ‘capital’ or ‘capitalism’ do not appear in the Declaration, not even once. Nor are the words ‘efficient’ or ‘efficiency’ there. What there is, however, is discourse about individual freedoms confirmed by the Constitution written a decade later.
The US system and the Saudi system are vastly different, of course. One is based on the premise that the individual human being is the focus of government action. The other is based on an understanding of man’s role in the universe as revealed in a religious text and premised on the good of society, not the individual. Which one better promotes ‘justice’, I suppose, depends on whether you’re looking at what’s good for anyone or good for everyone. Reasonable minds can argue, but they cannot make categorical statements.
Somehow, the writer finds it more just that expats in Saudi Arabia pay no income tax as those in the West do. Well, no Saudis pay income taxes either! Saudi companies may be taxed, but individuals are not, at least not beyond the 2.5% zakat which is not collected by the government, but paid willingly by Muslims. The writer then complains that expats in Saudi Arabia are a drain on the nation’s resources, utterly ignoring the role expats have played in developing the country from the ground up, whether in first extracting oil or building every inch of its infrastructure.
Perhaps the most ironic part of his commentary is that while Western countries have well-established routes for expats to become citizens, there are very few paths to citizenship in the Kingdom. Those that do exist depend utterly on the whim and will of Saudi nationals, not clear-cut laws and procedures. That is a rather large justice deficit in my book.
I don’t know whether Arab News translated this piece because they thought it a useful addition to the current debate about expat labor in Saudi Arabia or because they wanted to stir the pot. I’m hoping the latter as there’s not much useful, beyond yet another uninformed opinion, to be found in it.
Why do some Saudis hate expatriates?
MAZEN AL-SUDAIRY | AL-RIYADHYou may wonder why some Saudis hate the idea of expatriates becoming naturalized citizens or even their presence in the country. On the other hand, those who support the naturalization of foreigners cite the example of the United States where the process is very simple.
The US and Saudi Arabia are basically different in many ways. The US is a capitalist country with an economy based on efficiency, not on justice. A foreigner or immigrant is a means to increase the government’s tax revenue. The state does not provide free education and health services. Both citizens and foreigners have to pay an exorbitant price for all services. Even the insurance system is not cheap. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia is a country based on justice not on mere efficiency and aims to improve the welfare of citizens without looking for a profit. Education is free. Schools and universities are launched even in regions where the population is sparse and economically unfavorable. The state provides subsidies for food, medicine and power.
The economies of many countries in Europe such as France and Britain are based on justice.
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Reform of the Saudi legal system continues, as reported in this Saudi Gazette/Okaz piece. A new proposed law would permit judges—but not require them—to make use of non-government, subject-matter experts in helping them make their decisions. This is good in that many areas of life are indeed specialized and outside the basic knowledge of individuals, including judges. In Saudi Arabia, judges have a particularly limited form of education, focused on the Quran and Shariah law, but lacking in things like sciences, engineering, business and the like. Being able to call on experts could help judges to reach just decisions.
I’d prefer to see a law that required judges to make use of experts when the subject matter was complex, however. Too, at least as reported, there’s no mention of defendants’ rights to use of experts. That may be included; it may be covered under separate rules.
Proposed law allows experts to advise Shariah courts
Adnan Al-ShabrawiJEDDAH – Okaz/Saudi Gazette has obtained a new draft law that allows the use of experts to help Shariah courts resolve cases.
Under the proposal, which is being studied by experts from different ministries and bodies, the Ministry of Justice would establish a department to prepare a list of experts that do not work for the government; those on the list would provide their expertise when necessary, under specific conditions, sources told Okaz/Saudi Gazette.
The department should have engineers, surveyors, translators and other experts, under the supervision of the chief justice, according to sources.
The draft states that, “Any court may, when necessary, appoint one or more experts, decide his tasks, the date his report should be ready, the date when the report will be used during the court session and the remuneration for the expert, which should be deposited in his bank account.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports on a Saudi, formerly an associate professor at Georgia Tech University, who has been indicted on 201 counts, in two counties, of sexual exploitation of children.
An indictment is not a finding a guilt. It is only the charges that the accused will face in a court, before a jury. It does not look good, however.
Ex-Georgia Tech professor indicted in child porn case
Christopher SewardA former Georgia Tech associate professor has been indicted in Fulton and Clayton counties on multiple counts of sexual exploitation of children.
Authorities allege Faiz Al-Khayyal had child pornography in both his Tech office in Fulton County and on his Tech-issued laptop computer, which was seized from him at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Clayton County.
Al-Khayyal was arrested on Sept. 11, 2009 and released three days later on $225,000 bond.
This week, a Fulton grand jury returned a 172-count indictment against Al-Khayyal, and a Clayton grand jury returned a 29-county indictment. No dates have been set for arraignment hearings.
If convicted on just one of the felony counts under state Code Section 16-12-100, Al-Khayyal could face not less than five years nor more than 20 years in prison and a fine of not more than $100,000.00.
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Arab News translates a piece from the Arabic Al-Madinah reporting on the gross exaggerations that sometimes come from members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. The writer cites the two most recent and groundless allegations that have been sources to the Haya. He views them as ‘retaliation’ by individual religious police for media reports on malfeasance on the part of the Commission. This, he says, is inappropriate and unprofessional.
Local Press: Reactions uncalled for
SALEM SAHAB | AL-MADINAHWhen newspapers criticize the actions of some members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia), a number of people with good intentions come to their defense and accuse the press of overreacting.
Their argument is that their actions are predominantly good, but the media focuses on the few bad things done by some of their members.
Let’s take, for example, the claim of one of those members, who stated that 80 percent of Saudis with a scholarship in the UK consumed alcohol.
Since alcohol is the mother of all sins, the conclusion can be made that other sins are committed. Indeed, nothing can prevent a drunken person from committing sins, as his mind is absent. Therefore, students are not studying, and sending students on a scholarship is the mother of all disasters.
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It’s not just the population of Saudi Arabia that’s growing. Arab News reports that a growing desire for pilgrims to visit the Grand Mosque and take part in ritual circumambulation is creating new needs for infrastructure at the mosque. The latest thoughts go to creating more space on the upper level (‘second floor’ for Americans; ‘first floor’ for others). There’s need, too, to provide better access for handicapped pilgrims who are now permitted into the mataf area only during certain times to prevent overcrowding and congestion. An expanded upper deck might provide a solution.
The article also addresses a problem that’s developed recently: People’s ‘reserving’ spaces in the area closest to the Kaaba. Around the Kaaba, of all places on earth, equality is most emphasized. That means that spaces are pretty much allotted by fate. Using financial assets to insert oneself in a prime location at the expense of others is just not done. But some attempt it and, according to the Meccan Governor, will be stopped.
Study proposes expansion of first floor mataf
ARAB NEWSJEDDAH: A comprehensive study has been prepared for the expansion of the mataf (the circumambulation area around the Holy Kaaba) to reduce congestion.
Col. Yahya Al-Zahrani, commander of the security force at the Grand Mosque in Makkah told Al-Watan Arabic daily that the mataf expansion would be carried out on the first floor of the Grand Mosque and its terrace in order to reduce crowding on the ground floor.
“We don’t know exactly how many worshippers can be accommodated on the ground floor of the mataf,” he said.
He pointed out that measures would be taken to avoid crowding in the area by stopping those not wearing ihram from entering the area.
Speaking on the issue of worshippers reserving space inside the Grand Mosque for prayer, especially in the front rows, Al-Zahrani said Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal had set up a committee to end this negative phenomenon and punish those practicing it. Reserving place inside the mosque for taraweeh and qiyamullail prayers has become a common practice for the past several years.
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Saudi Gazette reports on a new public transportation system now being implemented in Mecca. It is intended to reduce traffic congestion caused by the influx of pilgrim in the city itself.
Christian Science Monitor runs an article about the US government’s interest in Saudi Arabia’s plans for building nuclear power plants to generate electricity. I find the article a bit confusing because three years ago, back in 2008, the USG had given its blessing to the project. In the meantime, Saudi Arabia has signed nuclear power contracts with France and China, as well as with the American firm General Electric, a manufacturer of nuclear power plants.
It appears that the USG is attempting—rather late in the game—to exert some sort of control over Saudi efforts, all in the name of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. While the Saudi government has long eschewed nuclear weapons and called for a ‘nuclear-free’ Middle East, comments by Prince Turki Al-Faisal in June of this year suggested that were Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, the Saudis might as well. Whether his statement represented official Saudi policy or his person musings is unclear. It may well be that his comments have occasioned this new look-in by the US.
I don’t think there’s any real question that the Saudis could use nuclear power generation. The country is one of the highest users of electricity to power everything from air conditioning to water desalination in a country with a growing population and growing demand. While it could burn oil to produce this electricity, it would do better to sell that oil on the markets. As is, it has its own growing demand for gasoline and other petrochemicals and would prefer to avoid consuming its primary money-earner. Nuclear power, despite the disasters of Chernobyl and the Japanese plants inundated by a tsunami, remains among the safest and most cost-effective means of generating electricity. The Saudis are heavily invested in solar power but do not see it as coming near to meeting demands.
Further, a GCC-wide grid is under construction. The UAE, as the article notes, has already signed on to restrictions suggested by the US and will be building its own reactors. Having an interlinked power system among the GCC states means that problems in one country could be resolved—at least temporarily—by power pulled from other countries. Having excess capacity permits this to happen.
Right now, though, Saudi Arabia has scant excess capacity. Every year, demand grows substantially and the country is having a hard time building enough traditional gas- or oil-fueled power plants to keep up. There are even rumors of the Kingdom’s considering the importing of coal to power generation plants.
There are still many questions that need to be answered before Saudi Arabia builds its first nuclear power plant. But those questions are largely technological, not political.
Obama administration mulls
India-style nuclear pact with Saudi Arabia
Howard LaFranchiUS officials are planning to hold talks with Saudi Arabia next week over a potential civilian nuclear pact. But Israeli concerns and Saudi Arabia’s rivalry with Iran could complicate matters
Washington: The Obama administration is quietly moving ahead on the groundwork for a possible civilian nuclear trade agreement with Saudi Arabia – an agreement that could prove to be the most controversial of a string of such US deals in recent years.
The US plans to hold what State Department officials are calling “exploratory talks” in Riyadh next week to gauge Saudi objectives behind their interest in a civilian nuclear deal. The US also wants to explore whether the Saudi government would accept restrictions to ensure its nuclear fuel is used purely for civilian purposes, according to congressional sources.
The US has recently concluded civilian nuclear trade deals – or so-called “123” agreements – with India and the United Arab Emirates and is in advanced discussions with countries including Jordan, Vietnam, and South Korea.
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