Saudi ambassador quizzed by PPEists

His Royal Highness Prince Turki al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia spoke in the Oakeshott Room of Lincoln College to an audience of approximately fifty students on Tuesday night, hosted by the Oxford University Philosphy, Politics and Economics Society (PPESoc). The event marked al-Faisal’s last address in the United Kingdom as Saudi ambassador to the UK and Ireland before becoming Ambassador to the United States later this year. He has held his previous position since 2003.In his speech, Prince al-Faisal stated “terrorism is the single biggest threat to peace and stability in the Middle East,” adding that terrorism “is the creation of twisted minds.”  He discussed numerous meetings he has had with Osama bin Laden during the 1980s, as well as attempts to capture the head of al-Qaeda.  The Prince was adamant to assert that Saudi Arabia has, not and does not support terrorists.  He also said that Saudi Arabia is as concerned about recent terrorist attacks, and about terrorists springing up across his country, as those countries that have suffered attacks.  Prince al-Faisal said he believes that the “deepest wound” fueling terrorism in the Middle East is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Following his speech, the Prince answered questions from the audience on topics including the war in Iraq, the influence of al-Jazeera television, education systems in Saudi Arabia, and accusations that the Syrian government are supporting terrorism.The prince served 24 years as the Head of the Saudi external intelligence service.  He is the son of the late King Faisal and brother of Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal.Mohan Rao, Magdalen College, President of the PPE society said “I thought that his talk was engaging and compelling – His Royal Highness covered a wide range of ground, and gave an interesting insight into the main causes of radicalisation among young Muslims today.” “It was also very kind of him to take part in a question-and-answer session after his talk – again, he showed an exceptional command of detail, and also a sense of humour and ready wit” he added.Last year, Prince al-Faisal won a case of libel against Paris-Match magazine over claims that he himself was linked to the 11 September terrorist attacks.ARCHIVE: 1st week MT 2005