20 Mar 2011 06:56
Source: reuters // Reuters
* King's image as "reformer" appears to come undone * Government bets on bolstering security, clerics
* Saudi dynasty refuses to concessions on political reform
(Repeats with no changes)
By Jason Benham and Amena Bakr
RIYADH, March 19 (Reuters) - This week's announcement by Saudi King Abdullah of lavish social handouts and a boost to security and religious police, but no political change, leaves his prized reputation as a reformist in tatters, analysts say.
Saudis on the streets of Riyadh after the king announced $93 billion in social handouts reflected the divide in society.
"There is no other king in the world who would give us what King Abdullah gives us," said Fahad al-Dosri, a 37-year-old bank official as he drove his car slowly through thick traffic of Saudis honking their horns in joy over the king's largesse.
But
Abdul-Ahmed Ibrahim, a 35-year-old businessman watching from the sidewalk was not buying it.
"No, it's not enough," he said despondently. "We want a change to the system. We want change because of the huge corruption."
The king, believed to be 87, has carefully crafted an image as a cautious reformer in a country ruled by a single generation of his brothers as absolute monarchs for nearly six decades.
But faced with unrest rocking much of the Arab world, he is playing the old game of buying support from key sectors of society to keep family rule as it is.
In a rare TV address to the nation on Friday, the king announced the new spending but gave no concessions on rights in a country where public space is dominated by the royal family, political parties are banned and there is no elected parliament.
There was no word either on a much anticipated reshuffle of a cabinet whose main posts are held by senior princes, some of whom have been in their jobs for more than four decades in the key U.S. ally and world's top oil exporter.
"I was expecting perhaps a cabinet reshuffle but unfortunately he focussed on paying money and he has increased the role of the religious establishment," said Tawfiq al-Said, a leading intellectual among minority Saudi Shiite Muslims.
"He is returning to the policy of the late King Fahd in the 1980s when money and religion was the only tool of the government," he said.
Measures to raise benefits for the unemployed, add jobs and increase the minimum wage were accompanied by the creation of 60,000 security positions and more money for the religious police who keep a firm grip on personal behaviour.
And in a sign Saudi's ruling elite will not tolerate dissent, Abdullah said the media must respect the Sunni clerics who oversee the application of sharia law in the Islamic state.
NO CONCESSIONS
With a wave of unrest toppling the governments of Egypt and Tunisia and spreading to neighbouring Yemen, Bahrain and Oman, the ruling family appears to have ruled out any big concessions, said Sam Ciszuk, senior analyst at IHS Global Insight.he added.
"The Saudi regime wants to demonstrate stability now. They do not do anything under pressure. Handing out money's from the bounty's; is their traditional role anyway, so that in itself is no concession," Ciszuk said.
"They want to make sure that nothing they do looks like a concession to their citizens and in the region, hence no cabinet reshuffle and a lot of security jobs and buttressing(The flared base of certain tree trunks.
) of the religious police,"
The one concession to criticism appeared to be the creation of a new body with a large budget to fight corruption.
All this contrasts with the image of a reformer that King Abdullah's supporters and Saudi media had built up since he ascended the throne in 2005 when U.S. pressure was still strong because of presence of Saudis among the Sept. 11 attackers.
That year Riyadh held its first municipal elections in four decades and the king stated his support for "cautious reform".
Since then political openings have dried up, while the country has continued to liberalise sections of its economy, attract foreign investment and outflank religious hardliners who were seen as encouraging al Qaeda militancy.
For all these efforts the country won praise from Western allies, accepting Riyadh's argument that the ruling dynasty was a bulwark against extremist religious forces who could take over if political reform moved too fast.
It is far from clear if the government's bet that there is not a critical mass of young Saudis prepared to fight for more rights will pay dividends in the longer term.
Shi'ites have staged marches in the Eastern Province, where most of Saudi Arabia's oil fields are located, but the authorities are used to Shi'ite activism which the Sunni clerics paint as typical acts by deviant and disloyal citizenry.
Few Saudis in major cities answered a Facebook call for protests on March 11. They would have faced a massive security deployment on the streets if they had tried.
(Editing by Andrew Hammond and Peter Graff)
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Tsunami may quicken investors' rush to safe havens
-- The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own --
By Wayne Arnold
HONG KONG, March 11 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Japan's earthquake and resulting tsunami have helped shake investor confidence in the global economy. Tensions are especially high because investors have so much to lose. Soft commodities and base metals have soared on hopes for a global recovery. Now protests in Saudi Arabia, weak Chinese trade data and sticky U.S. unemployment have left these risk assets looking vulnerable.
Confidence and commodities have been the theme for most of the past year. Investors were preoccupied with hedging the risk of a sinking dollar in the context of a booming Asian recovery. The result was a pell-mell(In a jumbled, confused manner; helter-skelter.
) rush of cheap dollars into relatively risky assets: emerging market currencies, bonds and stocks, precious metals like gold and silver, oil, raw materials such as copper and coal, and foodstuffs like wheat and corn.
Even as optimism about the U.S. economy sent emerging markets into reverse, the high price of traditional hedges like gold and oil meant investors continued to buy base metals and soft commodities. That helped push the Commodities Research Bureau Index up 46 percent between May 25 last year and March 4. But strong gains mean investors now have more wealth tied up in these assets. As a result, they are very sensitive to suggestions that either commodities demand or inflation might be heading south.
Fear is now with us. Even before the 8.9 Richter-scale earthquake hit north-east Japan, China dealt a blow to confidence by reporting a rare trade deficit for February.
Disappointing numbers on U.S. jobless claims served as another blow. Further west, news that Saudi Arabia's police fired on Shi'ite protesters has stoked fears that spiralling oil prices could hurt global growth.
This doesn't change the long-term prospects for the commodities needed to feed and house an increasingly prosperous Asia. But many investors have been playing commodities because of inflation, not long-term demand. That means that even a small shock is enough to send risk assets into a spiral. The economic impact of Japan's earthquake remains to be seen, but when expectations are high, even a relatively modest knock can produce a severe reaction.
CONTEXT NEWS
-- An earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale hit north-east Japan on March 11, triggering a 10-metre tsunami that killed at least 22 people and forced the closure of nuclear power plants and of Japan's second busiest airport. Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average dropped 1.75 percent.
-- The cost of insuring Asian debt climbed sharply and stock markets fell on fears over the effects of the earthquake and unrest in the Middle East. Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index fell as much as 1 percent, while stocks in Kuala Lumpur dropped 1.4 percent and Jakarta stocks fell 1.3 percent.
-- Brent crude slipped almost 2 percent ahead of a day of protests in Saudi Arabia called by activists for March 11. Protests were also planned in other Gulf countries such Kuwait and Bahrain. Brent has climbed 20 percent so far this year.
-- The U.S. Labor Department said on March 10 that first-time claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose for the week ended March 5 to 397,000. Separately, the U.S. Commerce Department said the trade deficit rose in January to its highest level in seven months thanks to rising oil prices.
-- China posted a $7.3 billion trade deficit for February on March 10 as imports soared and the Lunar New Year disrupted export shipments.
((wayne.arnold@thomsonreuters.com))
(Editing by John Foley and David Evans)
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Saudi police fired in air when attacked--ministry
10 Mar 2011 22:20
Source: reuters // Reuters
RIYADH, March 10 (Reuters) - Saudi police fired over the heads of protesters in the kingdom's Eastern Province after demonstrators attacked policemen, an Interior Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.
Three people were injured during the protest, one of them a policeman, the spokesman told reporters. He did not say how the injuries were caused. (Reporting by Ulf Laessing; editing by Tim Pearce)
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Riot police fire tear gas to disperse Kuwait rally
11 Mar 2011 10:41
Source: reuters // Reuters
KUWAIT, March 11 (Reuters) - Kuwait riot police fired tear gas on Friday to break up a small, peaceful demonstration by stateless Arabs, who were demanding greater rights in the small, oil-rich Gulf nation.
Police in protective gear advanced on around 200 protesters who had gathered in a district of Kuwait City following morning prayers. They then fired volleys of tear gas at the crowd, sending the group running for cover. (Reporting by Jason Benham; Editing by Crispian Balmer)
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Saudi party responds to call for talks
Thu Mar 10, 2011 5:23AM
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Saudi Arabia's Islamic Ummah Party has responded to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal's call for dialogue to end the rising unrest in the kingdom.
Spokesman for the party Mohammed bin Sa'ad al-Mifrith criticized the Saudi government for its “oppression,” corruption” and “dictatorship” on Wednesday.
“Who is left for the Saudi government to negotiate with?” the spokesperson said.
“All political, social and academic leaders are in jails or abroad or under terror,” he pointed out.
Earlier on Wednesday, the prince had asserted that demonstrations would not lead to reforms in his country and urged Saudis to express their demands through dialogue only.
"The best way to achieve what citizens want is through dialogue whether in the eastern region, or the western, southern and northern regions," the Saudi minister told a news conference.
He made the remarks after days of anti-government protests in the east of the country and calls for a "Day of Rage" rally on March 11, and another mass demonstration on March 20.
After the popular revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, there have been demands for reforms in Saudi Arabia more than ever before.
Saudis are openly calling for change, including political reforms and release of political prisoners.
Further fueling the unrest in the strategic Arab country are a high rate of unemployment among its youths and widespread corruption in the public sector.
Analysts warn that a serious unrest in Saudi Arabia could affect the energy output in the world's largest producer and exporter of oil, and send oil prices flying to $200 a barrel.
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Saudi women rally for prisoners' release
Thu Mar 3, 2011 9:23AM
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Saudi women (file photo) A group of women in Saudi Arabia have protested their husbands' detention in Saudi prisons, amid the emerging signs of anti-government uprisings across the kingdom.
The women say their husbands have been behind bars for at least 15 years without trial.
They chanted the men have been “forgotten” and have called for their immediate release.
On February 24, another demonstration was held in the oil-producing Eastern province of Qatif. The protesters carried pictures of prisoners and demanded their release.
Two weeks ago, a similar protest was also held in the neighboring town of Awwamiya, after which, Saudi authorities freed three prisoners.
Tens of thousands of people are preparing themselves to attend the protests after Saudi youth named March 11th the Day of Rage on the social networking website, Facebook.
On February 23, Saudi King Abdullah suddenly announced a series of benefits for his citizens following revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt.
King Abdullah introduced a package of social and economic overhaul amounting to $10.7 billion.
He also granted pardon to some prisoners indicted in financial crimes and ordered the implementation of a 15-percent pay hike for state employees as well as an increase in the cash available for Saudi housing loans.
Analysts believe the huge hike in benefits introduced by the Saudi king is actually intended to avert an uprising in the country.
In recent weeks, a wave of revolutions and anti-government uprisings has spread across the Arab world.
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Tue Mar 1, 2011 9:05am GMT
Print | Single Page[-] Text [+] JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Saudi authorities detained a Shi'ite cleric in the Eastern Province after he called for a constitutional monarchy and an end to corruption and discrimination, human rights activists said on Tuesday.The top oil exporter and U.S. ally is an absolute monarchy that applies an austere version of Sunni Islam and does not tolerate public dissent.
Its Shi'ite minority, believed to be 10-15 percent of the 18 million Saudi population, has long complained of discrimination, a charged denied by the authorities.
Tawfiq al-Amir, who has been detained before for speaking out about religious
freedom, made his call in a Friday sermon in the eastern town of Hafouf. Security police detained him on Sunday, said Mohammad Gabran, a local rights activist.
"Previously his sole care was religious freedoms but in his last sermon he changed his direction and started demanding a constitutional monarchy," Gabran said.
"He called me when they came to take him. They informed him they were state security and they came to take him."
Officials at the General Directorate of Investigations, an investigative arm of the government, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Analysts say the government is anxious that unrest may spread from neighbouring Bahrain, where majority Shi'ites have been protesting against the Sunni government.
Thousands of people are circulating emailed petitions and support Facebook groups calling for reform, an end to corruption and a constitutional monarchy in Saudi Arabia.
Activists set up Facebook pages calling for protests on March 11 and 20 but many locals doubt that those protests will take place as the government closely monitors social media and would stop any attempt to protest.
"The Saudi government should listen to the demands of its citizens, not seek to stifle them," said Christoph Wilcke, senior Middle East researcher in a Human Rights Watch report.
"Calling for equal rights for an oppressed religious minority should not be a reason for harassment and arrest," he said.
(Reporting by Asma Alsharif; editing by Tim Pearce)
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Saudi shares at 20-month low
Tue Mar 1, 2011 5:56PM
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The Saudi bourse dropped for the 12th consecutive session on Tuesday.Massive anti-government protests in the Arab world have influenced shares in Saudi Arabia, bringing down the largest market in the Arab world by 6.8 percent to a 20-month low.
The Saudi bourse dropped for the 12th consecutive session on Tuesday on fears of unrest and on Sunday lost five percent.
The Tadawul All-Shares Index (TASI) shed about 403 points to close at 5,538.72 points, the lowest level since mid-July 2009, with all the 145 listed companies ending the day in the red.
The index dipped more than eight percent before recovering just ahead of the close.
The unrest in several Arab countries and the failure to reopen the Egyptian Stock Market, which has been closed for a month, are behind the fall, Saudi economist Ali al-Dakkak said on Tuesday.
"It is a strong reaction to the events in the Arab world,” he told AFP.
"Investors were awaiting the re-opening of the Egyptian bourse and reacted negatively when it did not."
The Cairo bourse's opening has been delayed until next Sunday.
Saudi Arabia has investments worth around $110 billion in Egypt, $100 billion of which are held by private investors inside and outside the Egyptian bourse, Dakkak said.
The drop is the largest single-day loss since November 2008 when the Saudi market was reeling under the impact of the global financial crisis.
Since the start of the year, TASI shed more than 16.3 percent and most of the losses were incurred after the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions.
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Anti-govt. protests held in Saudi Arabia
Fri Mar 4, 2011 4:49PM
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Saudi Arabia's anti-riot police hold back protesters in Awamiyya March 3, 2011.Hundreds of Saudis have taken to the streets in the eastern province of al-Ahsa, demanding the immediate release of a senior Shia cleric.
The peaceful protest rally, dubbed the 'Day of Rage,' which condemned the Saudi government's detention of Sheikh Tawfiq al-Amer, was held in al-Hufuf district following the Friday Prayers.
The Shia cleric was arrested last Friday after a sermon in which he said Saudi Arabia should become a constitutional monarchy.
Sheikh Tawfiq al-Amer has been arrested several times over his calls for giving Shias, a minority in Saudi Arabia, further freedom to exercise their religious rights.
The Friday protest came one day after similar demonstrations in the province. On Thursday, hundreds of protesters in the cities of Qatif and Awamiyya took to the streets and called for the release of Shia prisoners, who they say are being held unjustly, some as long as 16 years.
"We want the prisoners free but we also have other demands. We want equality," a protester in Qatif said.
Saudi authorities arrested 22 people for taking part in the protest in Qatif.
The latest protest comes against the backdrop of growing calls for a massive anti-government protest expected later in March. Tens of thousands of Saudis have already joined the drive.
Saudi youths have named March 11 the Day of Rage on the social networking website, Facebook.
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