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What, Saudis worry? Pass the
caviar
By Tito Drago
MADRID - The extravagant vacations of Saudi King
Fahd and his royal retinue in Spain are disproportionate
for a country suffering severe political and social
problems.
The 81-year-old king of Saudi Arabia,
Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al- Saud, accompanied by nearly all
of his children and family members and an entourage of
more than 3,000, has been vacationing on Spain's Costa
del Sol since August 14.
In the posh
Mediterranean resort town of Marbella, 450 kilometers
southeast of Madrid, he stays in his palace, a replica
of the White House named "Mar Mar". Just the
preparations of the palace for his visit ran to US$185
million. Luxury villas and 300 rooms in five-star hotels
were rented for the rest of the royal family in and
around Marbella.
Chic restaurants and jewelry
shops have cheerfully prepared for the Saudi visitors,
who spent $90 million on their last stay, in 1999.
During this year's visit, which is to be one month
longer than the last one, they are expected to spend as
much as $300 million.
Although a boon for
Spain's tourist industry, that sum indicates the Saudi
leaders' lack of concern for their own people.
Emma Bonino, an Italian member of the European
Parliament, said the royal family has more than $600
billion in funds abroad, and is "more interested in
investing them on the international markets than at
home".
Saudi Arabia ranked 71st out of 173
nations on the United Nations Development Program's
(UNDP) latest Human Development Index, which measures
factors like life expectancy, school enrollment and
distribution of wealth. Ahead of Saudi Arabia are
nations like Thailand, Venezuela, Colombia and Slovenia.
Per capita income in Saudi Arabia plunged from
$35,000 to $7,000 in just 20 years, while the country's
gross national product grew just 1 percent a year on
average during the same period. At the same time, its
3.8 percent demographic growth rate is one of the
highest in the world.
Meanwhile, discriminatory
policies remain in place, such as those that keep the
princes and their families separate from the rest of the
population, and especially from the immigrants, who keep
the economy running, not to mention the discrimination
against women.
Evidence of that was experienced
by Bonino herself when she visited Saudi Arabia as part
of a delegation sent by the European Parliament's
commission of foreign affairs.
When they were
received by the chair of the Saudi parliament, Salih bin
Abdullah bin Humaid, the women deputies were "denied the
honor of a handshake or eye-to-eye contact", said
Bonino, while explanations that Islam considers women to
be different from men were addressed to the male deputy
guests.
Several Spanish media outlets reported
that a British agency has provided a large group of
women to accompany the Saudi men during their vacations
in Spain, on two conditions: the women must be young and
blonde, and must be replaced every 15 days.
Although prostitution is legal in Spain,
procuring is punishable by law. Nevertheless, no
authority or organization has moved against the British
agency, even though the contract was made public.
Nor has the illegal hiring of around 50
active-service police officers to moonlight as
bodyguards for the Saudi king, princes and princesses
been questioned. The arrangement has been reported by
several media outlets, with no reaction from the
government.
On the contrary, King Fahd has been
given a royal welcome and was visited in Mar Mar by King
Juan Carlos, although according to protocol, the Spanish
sovereign should have received the visiting monarch.
Fahd will also receive visits from Spanish Prime
Minister Jose Maria Aznar and US Secretary of State
Colin Powell. The Saudi monarch and Powell are expected
to discuss present or future US actions against Iraq, a
touchy subject on which the two countries are publicly
divided.
Another question that may be addressed
is a lawsuit that a group of Saudis are preparing
against the US government and several media outlets for
"psychological and economic damages" suffered since the
September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and
Washington. The lawsuit was announced August 21 in
Washington by Saudi lawyer Katih al Shamri.
The
dispute over the succession to the Saudi throne further
compounds Saudi Arabia's social problems and the
difficulties arising from the conflict in the Middle
East. Saudi Arabia is important to the United States, as
it accounts for 25 percent of the world's oil reserves
and 10 percent of global oil production.
(Inter
Press Service)
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