SAUDI ARABIA: TURKI SAYS "WE ARE NOT GOING TO CHANGE..."

Saudi Ambassador hits out at US on reform calls

Prince Turki tells US on reforms in kingdom: We're not going to change just because you tell us to.

WASHINGTON - Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States hit out Wednesday at US "bombast" in calls for reform in the kingdom and warned action was needed now on the Israeli-Palestinian peace track.

Ambassador Prince Turki al-Faisal's remarks came as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice toured the Middle East in a bid to court moderate Arab states which have shown growing impatience with US policies in the region.

While he said US-Saudi relations were in much better shape after a number of upsets in recent years, there were still areas of contention.

"We don't mind being criticized. There is a well-known saying in Arabic: Your true friend is one who tells you the truth rather than one who simply agrees with you," Prince Turki said.

"But it is the way in which Americans criticize, whether it is politicians or public figures or thought leaders, that causes us concern.

"We often hear political rhetoric and bombast and not constructive commentary," he said noting Americans wanted reform and change in Saudi society.

"That is on the agenda ... but we're not going to change just because you tell us to," Prince Turki said. "Making dictums leads nowhere. Constructive comments, on the other hand, are more helpful."

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Pertinent Links:

1) Saudi Ambassador hits out at US on reform calls