Saudi Arabia in need of positive spin

Riyadh Saudis must work harder to improve their image to the rest of the world, according to former Saudi intelligence chief and Saudi ambassador to the US, Prince Turki Al Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz said.

Speaking at a lecture entitled "Moderateness" at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah on Sunday night, Prince Turki described Saudi Arabia's negative reputation as "eternal and deep-rooted", recognising that it is very difficult to change.

"All of us are responsible for spreading our culture and moderateness in the world. This should not be limited to government bodies," he said.

Saudi mass media has only been partially successful in polishing Saudi Arabia's image, he explained.

Attitudes

The passive attitudes of Saudi citizens are mainly to blame, as they have failed to reflect the aspects of tremendous development witnessed by their country, he added.

Saudis are taught from youth to maintain a low-profile and to avoid speaking proudly of their achievements, Prince Turki explained.

During his tenure in the US, Prince Turki said he was often approached by students who asked him whether he uses a camel or a donkey for transportation.

They asked him as well how many oil wells he personally owns.

When working in the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C., Prince Turki recalled reviewing a press study on visits by Israeli delegations to Washington every week, tasked with spreading Israeli culture.

"We were pleased with four or five visits of Saudi delegations to the US in a year," he said.

Responsibilities

Prince Turki said the responsibility lies both on the government and at the grass-roots level and urged Saudis to increase their contacts with Western societies.

He suggested that the Ministry of Higher Education prepare students, who plan to travel abroad for university, for a year in advance in order to eliminate negative stereotypes about their country.