(Washington) …September 21, 2003 …US ambassador to Riyadh has been declared persona non-grata in the Kingdom by senior members of the ruling family fearful of American involvement in local Saudi politics, SIA has learned.
Ambassador Robert Jordan was asked to leave after he made controversial comments regarding the political future of Saudi Arabia, a source familiar with the events told SIA Friday by phone form Saudi Arabia.
Jordan’s comments came in two dinner parties sometimes late spring of this year.
The first was in Riyadh at the house of Dr. Usama Kurdi, a member of the King’s appointed consultative council.
Jordan reportedly said the US government “decided” to support Crown Prince Abdullah as king, and that the next crown prince will come from the 3rd generation of Al-Saud ruling family instead of the 2nd generation. The 2nd generation – the sons of King AbdulAziz, - include Prince Abdullah and dozens others such as Naif, Nawaf, Sultan, Mishael, Bader, AbdulRahman, Talal, Turkey, Miteb, and others.
Defense minister Sultan bin AbdulAziz, the first man inline for the coveted crown prince post, who comes from the 2nd generation, was reportedly angered by Jordan’s comments. Sultan then asked a guest who attended the dinner to personally meet with Crown Prince Abdullah and convey Jordan’s comments.
Abdul Rahman Abdulaziz Al-Tuwaijri Secretary-General of Supreme Economic Council, who is close to Abdullah, informed the Crown Prince of the dinner discussions.
Talal bin AbdulAziz, who holds no official posts, got also into the mix and called his brother Sultan to inform him of Jordan’s comments, sources said. Talal is seeking the Crown Prince position for himself or his son Al-Waleed, on a liberal platform.
After the comments were published in July by an Arab newspaper in London, Jordan expressed to other Saudis his feeling of betrayal. He said these comments “were private and were told to friends in confidence”, a source who heard the ambassador’s comments told SIA news on condition of anonymity.
The State Department didn’t announce the termination of Jordan’s assignment to date. The department speaker’ Richard Boucher told a reporter last week, he wasn’t aware of the ambassador leaving his position.
Jordan will return to the United States two years short of his four-year appointment by his longtime friend, President George W. Bush.
The termination of Jordan’s term might have been discussed outside the channels of the State Department, which is responsible for ambassadorial issues.
The termination might have been discussed during ambiguous meetings between Saudi ambassador to Washington Bandar bin Sultan and former President George Bush on August 27th -- in Kennebunkport, Maine, in his vacation home, and Vice President Dick Cheney August 28th at his ranch in Wyoming. Cheney and Bush senior are close friends and business associates of Jordan.
Robert Jordan is the 2nd US ambassador to be expelled from Saudi Arabia. US ambassador Hume Horan was expelled in April 1988, six months into his Riyadh appointment, after he reportedly raised the issue of Saudi purchase of Chinese long-range missiles, “East Wind” which has a rang of over 1000 kilometers.
The US has no history of expelling Saudi diplomats, but has recently declined the Saudi nominee for head of security at the Saudi embassy, sources in the embassy told SIA news.
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