UNCLAS RIYADH 001258
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR NEA/ARP (HARRIS, BERNDT) AND OES/SCT (FERGUSON)
DEPT PASS TO NOAA, NASA, AND DOE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON, TSPL, KTIA, KSCA, PREL, SA
SUBJECT: SAUDI ARABIA RATIFIES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
AGREEMENT, HOPES TO MEET IN DECEMBER
REF: RIYADH 659
1. (SBU) This is an action request. See paragraph 5.
2. (SBU) In a recent meeting with EconCouns, Prince Turki
al-Saud, Vice President of the King Abdul-Aziz City for
Science and Technology (KACST) said he is very pleased with
the level of U.S.-Saudi science and technology collaboration.
He said that the December 2008 U.S.-Saudi Agreement on
Science and Technology Cooperation is proving to be a very
useful coordinating mechanism. Prince Turki confirmed that
the Shoura Council formally ratified this agreement on
September 1, officially bringing the agreement into effect in
Saudi Arabia, although KACST has already pursued cooperation
under the agreement in several areas. Prince Turki was
particularly appreciative of the May working group sessions
held in Riyadh, and promised that the Saudi side would wrap
up its final comments on the record of the session very soon.
Turki said that the bilateral agreement has helped Saudi
institutions focus on their top priorities, and the need to
define specific projects to pursue. In that regard, he said
that cooperation with foreign institutions was welcome,
particularly in areas like water and energy.
3. (SBU) Prince Turki noted that partnerships with American
institutions, both universities and companies, have formed
the backbone of KACST's cooperative activities since its
founding (although he also noted Saudi Arabia is trying to
diversify its outreach). He said that several of these
partnerships were already paying dividends for Saudi
scientists in terms of affording them access to advanced
fields of knowledge. He was also particularly proud of
several upcoming projects with American institutions,
including cooperation with NASA on three research missions
over the next four years.
4. (SBU) Prince Turki expressed eagerness to move forward
under the agreement, and said Saudi Arabia would like to hold
a few targeted working group meetings in December in
Washington DC. Turki proposed the December meetings
concentrate on innovation and space cooperation, specifically
including NASA, NOAA, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS),
and the National Science Foundation (NSF). He also reported
that Saudi Aramco is interested in discussing cooperation
with DOE's Argonne National Laboratory, although he did not
have details on what topic. Comment: Post supports the
Saudi proposal to hold follow up working group meetings under
the bilateral S&T agreement. Particularly in the wake of the
inauguration of the King Abdullah University for Science and
Technology, meetings in Washington will help demonstrate our
interest in expanding our bilateral S&T cooperation with
Saudi Arabia. We understand the logic behind the Saudi
suggestion that these next meetings focus on specific
potential projects for cooperation, although we would be open
to any suggestions from U.S. agencies of areas for further
potential cooperation. End Comment.
5. ACTION REQUEST: Post requests Department's assistance in
contacting NASA, NOAA, NAS, and NSF to identify potential
December dates for working group meetings in Washington.
Post also requests the Department's assistance in identifying
any other areas of potential interest for working groups in
December. END ACTION REQUEST.
SMITH