20 February 2008
DHAHRAN -- At the US Consulate's Presidents' Day reception on Monday evening, US Ambassador Ford M. Fraker announced that the US Consulate in Dhahran will open for full visa services from May 3. Saudis attending the event, including Mustapha Al-Mubarak, director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Kingdom's Eastern Province, were enthusiastic about the announcement.

"I am extremely pleased we are opening full non-immigrant visa services in Dhahran," Fraker said.

"This action demonstrates the high value the United States places on our relationship with Saudi Arabia and the historical importance of the Eastern Province to American and Saudi friendship. We expect that this step will facilitate business and tourism and will allow greater numbers of Saudi students to study in the United States."

According Dhahran's US Consulate General John Kincannon, two staff members have been added to the consular section to handle the visa services.

To apply for a US visa in Dhahran to visit, study or conduct business in the United States, Saudi citizens first must complete an online application and then request an interview appointment date online at the Consulate General Dhahran website -- http://dhahran.usconsulate.gov/.

Visa interview appointments will be available in Dhahran starting May 3, 2008 between 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. on Saturdays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

In 2007, there were approximately 33,000 US visas issued to Saudis and non-Saudis in Saudi Arabia. This is one indication that despite difficulties in the US-Saudi relationship after Sept. 11, 2001, ties between the nations are strong and growing.

"I think we're going through a stage now where I think it's clear that the relationship is on the upward trend -- whether it's commerce, whether it's politics, all the old foundations that have been there are still there and getting stronger," Fraker commented.

In a speech at the event, Fraker noted that US companies are the leading partners in joint ventures in the Kingdom, with more than 357 projects, valued at $21.9 billion.

The US is also the leading foreign direct investor in Saudi Arabia, accounting for more than 25 percent of Saudi Arabia's total inward Foreign Direct Investment. To encourage commercial ties, a new Foreign Commercial Officer, Geoff Cleasby, has been added to the US Consulate's staff in Dhahran.

The US ambassador also remarked that plans are well under way to enhance the services offered by the US Consulate in Jeddah.

"After the consulate was attacked in 2004, we had five employees killed and it was clear that from a security standpoint it was almost impossible to assure security at that location," Fraker explained. "So we've gone out and bought land in Jeddah and we're right now building a new consulate which should be finished in about 19 months. In the meantime, we've made recommendations that we should be able to begin visa issuance in Jeddah for this short period of time, but that is still being evaluated back in Washington."

Although the US ambassador has a background in business -- his first contact with the Kingdom was as a banker in 1974, he understands that there are many other aspects to the US-Saudi relationship.

"The US-Saudi relationship is not just about business and matters of state. It is also about developing our young people, and endowing them with the education and skills necessary to successfully lead our two countries into the future. Perhaps Saudi Arabia's greatest achievement in recent years has been King Abdullah's far-sighted decision to make higher education a priority in the Kingdom," Fraker said.

"The king's commitment to investing in first class educational institutions, preeminent among them the new King Abdullah University for Science and Technology, will undoubtedly pay dividends by creating a more diverse and qualified Saudi workforce.

"Likewise, the king's encouragement of Saudi students pursuing studies abroad, particularly in the United States, will serve to cultivate the country's youngest and brightest minds. ... The success of these efforts is already evident, as last year the number of Saudi students attending US universities and colleges reached its highest level since 2001, with over 15,000 Saudi students pursuing their studies in the US. More than the actions of governments, these people-to-people exchanges hold the key to future understanding, respect and partnership between our two nations."

By Molouk Y. Ba-Isa

© Arab News 2008