CHICAGO: SUSRIS (Saudi-US Relations Information Service ) was recently in Chicago to cover the US-Saudi Business Opportunities Forum, a major event bringing together over 1,000 Americans and Saudis to advance their mutual business interests through panel discussions and networking.
The Forum was organized by the Committee for International Trade (CIT) of the Saudi Council of Chambers of Commerce in Riyadh and the US-Saudi Business Council in Washington.
At the forum SUSRIS had a chance to talk with Amr Khashoggi, vice president of corporate affairs for the Zahid group of companies.
In 2006 Khashoggi wrote an "open letter from a Saudi businessman to Americans." In it he recounted his personal commitment to healthy Saudi-US ties and addressed the post 9/11 challenges to the relationship.
He said the "US-Saudi relationship must not be based solely on economic interests, but on mutual benefit for both of our nations. It will take the full cooperation of everyone from all sections of both societies including the academia, the media, the religious and business communities, the government, the congress, the senior citizens, the youth, and the public at large for this to succeed."
A year later SUSRIS talked with Khashoggi and asked if he saw progress in repairing the relationship. He said it was unclear if progress was being made, that there were some positive efforts being made through information and outreach programs, but he remained concerned about media campaigns and poor communication on both sides of the relationship.
"We are still faced with a serious case of misunderstanding, misconception and deep ignorance and lack of awareness of the situation. We still have a lot to do to bridge the chasm created by extremists on both sides and their cohorts. When we stiffen our positions and dig our heels in the ground and shut our ears to honest, transparent and civil dialogue between our two nations, then the chasm will get bigger and we cannot build on our common values nor can we be in a position to respect our legitimate differences," he had said.
With that in mind as well as Khashoggi's deep commitment to and concerns about the ties between Saudis and Americans we asked him for his assessment of the forum as a barometer on the relationship. Here are the excerpts:
Q: We're here in Chicago with over 1,100 Americans and Saudis talking about business and, one of your favorite topics, building bridges between the countries. What is your reaction to the success of this conference?
A: Nothing could make my heart flutter as much as seeing so many Saudis and Americans talking business in a very amiable, trusting, and warm way. The discussions here are very professional and show the prospects and intentions for concrete steps to building business like my company, Zahid Group, has enjoyed with Caterpillar. Today we are celebrating 60 years. There are many others. We just listened to the Boeing CEO, and their partnership goes back to 1945 with the Kingdom and others here go back to the 1930s.
These relationships have endured for a very long time and if I can share just one message it would be Saudis and Americans must never again ever allow a bunch of misfits to drive a wedge between our two nations.
Q: You were among those who challenged Saudis and Americans to work to restore the health of the relationship after 9/11, calling for each side to address its own shortcomings. How would you assess the progress made since your "Open Letter" four years ago that was among the alarm bells?
A: If there was a silver lining in the dark clouds that were looming over our two nations it was that we had the opportunity to take a realistic look at the relationship, to make sure that it's not a relationship based only on oil interests, but that it's a relationship that covers many different facets. We had to rediscover the breadth of the commercial and industrial component. We had to rediscover the educational, social and cultural components.
These can only be achieved if you have links of trust and transparency between the two nations. Of course the first rule of transparency is to be transparent with oneself, for each of us to look at our own mistakes and to try to fix them. This is what both nations have done over the past five or six years. The self-examination that occurred opened the door to mutual understanding. For example it allowed Americans to understand Saudis more, and it allowed Saudis to understand Americans more. I believe that greater understanding has gone a long way in rebuilding bridges of friendship that will last for many, many more years.
Q: Talk about the business opportunities that the US-Saudi Business Forum represents.
A: From my perspective with the Zahid Group, we have several business areas that enjoy partnerships with American companies. Of course, the most famous of them is Caterpillar. But we're also looking at other opportunities. As the population of Saudi Arabia grows - as you know 60 percent of the population is under the age of 20 - we are going to put tremendous demand on energy resources, currently through fossil fuels. However, as with other parts of the world Saudi Arabia is moving toward alternative energy, renewable energy.
One thing we have a lot of in Saudi Arabia, besides oil, is sunshine. So, solar energy is an area where we will see a lot of growth. This is an area Zahid Group is looking at very seriously as investors, as operators, and as partners. We are speaking to US companies - at this forum and elsewhere - who are involved in renewable energy, recycling, and so forth.
There are tremendous opportunities for Saudi and American businesses working together to improve people's lives, focusing on clean energy, focusing on education. There is a great need to educate all of the young men and women of Saudi Arabia. Education goes hand in hand with job creation, and job creation goes hand in hand with building a sustainable economy. We can benefit from the great systems of education the United States has and can share with Saudi Arabia, and the United States will benefit from the future solid relations with Saudi Arabia.
© Arab News 2010
