2002-09-04 09:27:23 Inter Press Service 4 September 2002 http://ummahnews.com/viewarticle.php?sid=4190 The extravagant vacations of Saudi King Fahd and his royal retinue in Spain are disproportionate for a country that has political and social problems, despite its oil wealth. 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 Aug. 14. In the posh Mediterranean resort town of Marbella, 450 kms 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 $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. On 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 one percent a year on average during the same period, and 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 moonshine 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 U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. The Saudi monarch and Powell are expected to discuss present or future U.S. 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 U.S. government and several media outlets for "pyschological and economic damages" suffered since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. The lawsuit was announced Aug. 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 and the "war on terrorism" declared by President George W. Bush, whose government is getting ready to target Iraq. 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. |