US embassy cable - 96RIYADH763

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 000763 
 
 
FOR INR/B 
 
E.O.12958: DECL:  2/27/2011 
TAGS:  PGOV, PINR, SA 
SUBJECT:  SAUDI ARABIA: CROWN PRINCE'S FAMILY ALLIES 
 
REF: 95 RIYADH 5297 
 
1.  (U)  CLASSIFIED BY DCM THEODORE KATTOUF: 1.5 B. 
 
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SUMMARY 
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2.  (C)  SPECULATION THAT THE CROWN PRINCE ANGRILY 
DEPARTED FOR HAFR AL-BATIN FOLLOWING KING FAHD'S 
RESUMPTION OF FULL GOVERNING POWERS ON FEBRUARY 21 IS 
DISMISSED BY SOURCES WITHIN THE SAUDI ARABIA NATIONAL 
GUARD AND AMONG ABDULLAH'S ADVISERS.  NONETHELESS, THE 
NUMBER OF SENIOR PRINCES WHO ACCOMPANIED THE CROWN 
PRINCE ON HIS FAMILY CAMPING TRIP ILLUSTRATES THE 
POLITICAL ALLIANCES WHICH ABDULLAH HAS CULTIVATED TO 
OFFSET THE DOMINATION OF THE NUMEROUS AND POWERFULLY 
POSITIONED SUDAYRI BROTHERS.  THE FAMILY ENCLAVE 
DEMONSTRATES PUBLICLY ABDULLAH'S STRONG BASE AMONG THE 
SURVIVING SONS OF KING ABD AL-AZIZ.  END SUMMARY 
 
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ABDULLAH PITCHES TENT IN HAFR AL-BATIN 
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3.  (C)  ON FEBRUARY 22, THE DAY AFTER FAHD UNEXPECTEDLY 
RESUMED FULL GOVERNING POWERS WHICH ENDED THE CROWN 
PRINCE'S TWO MONTH REGENCY, ABDULLAH DEPARTED RIYADH FOR 
AN OPULENT FAMILY CAMPING TRIP IN THE NORTH-EASTERN 
CORNER OF THE KINGDOM, AT HAFR AL-BATIN.  SOURCES WITHIN 
THE SAUDI ARABIA NATIONAL GUARD DISMISS RUMORS THAT 
ABDULLAH LEFT IN A HUFF, NOTING THAT SUCH A DESERT 
OUTING IS NORMAL FOR THE CROWN PRINCE, BUT HAD BEEN 
DELAYED WHILE HE FILLED IN FOR FAHD.  ACCORDING TO ONE 
OF THE CROWN PRINCE'S ADVISERS, ABDULLAH DEPARTED 
QUICKLY FOR HAFR AL-BATIN SINCE HIS PRESENCE IN THE 
CAPITAL IS REQUIRED PRIOR TO THE START OF THE ANNUAL 
SANG-SPONSORED CULTURAL FESTIVAL, JANADRIYYAH, SLATED TO 
BEGIN MARCH 7. 
 
4.  (C)  SOME ROYAL OBSERVERS ARGUE THAT ABDULLAH'S 
RETREAT TO HAFR IS A REFLECTION OF THE KING'S 
SATISFACTION WITH THE CP'S GOVERNING PERFORMANCE SINCE 
THE ROYAL CAMP SITE IS TRADITIONALLY THE PRESERVE OF 
FAHD AND HIS INTIMATES.  ONLY TRUSTED AIDES, CLOSE 
ADVISERS, AND IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBERS ACCOMPANY THE 
KING ON HIS TRIPS TO HAFR, A SITE WHICH HAS BEEN USED TO 
FETE BOTH PRESIDENT CLINTON AND FORMER SECSTATE SHULTZ. 
LENDING WEIGHT TO THIS INTERPRETATION IS THE FACT THAT 
WHEN THE CROWN PRINCE HAS SOUGHT TO COMMUNICATE HIS 
DISPLEASURE WITH ROYAL DECISIONS IN THE PAST, HE HAS 
FLOWN OFF TO MOROCCO, NOT TO THE KINGDOM'S BEDOUIN 
INTERIOR. 
 
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AND TAKES ALONG HIS COTERIE OF ROYAL SUPPORTERS 
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5.  (C)  THE FAMILY CONSTELLATION WHICH ACCOMPANIED 
ABDULLAH ON HIS POST-REGENCY RETREAT REPRESENTS AN 
INTRIGUING SNAP-SHOT OF WHOM, AMONG THE MORE SENIOR 
ROYAL FAMILY MEMBERS, SHARES A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP 
WITH THE CROWN PRINCE.  THE CAMPERS INCLUDED: 
 
O    HALF-BROTHERS: 
 
THE STANDARD COTERIE OF NON-SUDAYRI HALF-BROTHERS IS 
PRESENT IN HAFR, INCLUDING: DEPUTY SANG COMMANDER, BADR 
BIN ABD AL-AZIZ; HAIL GOVERNOR MUQRIN BIN ABD AL-AZIZ; 
MEDINA GOVERNOR ABD AL-MAJID BIN ABD AL-AZIZ; FORMER 
QASIM GOVERNOR, ABD AL-ILAH BIN ABD AL-AZIZ; FORMER 
MECCA GOVERNOR, FAWWAZ BIN ABD AL-AZIZ; AND NAWWAF BIN 
ABD AL-AZIZ.  (COMMENT:  TO THIS GROUP, WE WOULD ADD 
FORMER TABUK GOVERNOR, MAMDUH BIN ABD AL-AZIZ, WHO, 
WHILE ABSENT FROM HAFR, TYPICALLY ACCOMPANIES THE CROWN 
PRINCE AND IS A REGULAR AT ABDULLAH'S EVENING FAMILY 
MAJLIS.  SIMILARLY, BANDAR AND MISH'AL BIN ABD AL-AZIZ, 
PASSED OVER IN THE LINE OF SUCCESSION, ARE ALSO 
CONSIDERED NATURAL SUPPORTERS OF THE CROWN PRINCE. 
MISH'AL TRAVELLED WITH THE CROWN PRINCE TO QASIM FOR THE 
SANG'S NOVEMBER 1995 TRAINING EXERCISE (REFTEL), WHERE 
ABDULLAH WAS HOSTED BY BANDAR'S SON, QASIM GOVERNOR 
FAYSAL BIN BANDAR.)  IN ALL, SEVEN OF THE EIGHTEEN 
SURVIVING, NON-SUDAYRI SONS OF KING ABD AL-AZIZ 
TRAVELLED TO HAFR. 
 
O    SONS: 
 
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF KHALID BIN ABDULLAH, WHO WAS 
DISMISSED FROM THE SANG FOLLOWING POLICY DISAGREEMENTS 
WITH HIS FATHER'S ADVISERS, ALL OF ABDULLAH'S NINE SONS 
ARE PRESENT IN HAFR AL-BATIN.  TWO SONS, NOT PREVIOUSLY 
RECORDED IN OUR ROYAL FAMILY GENEOLOGY, ARE LISTED: 
MUHAMMAD AND MAJID.  (NOTE: THE LATTER MAY INCLUDE 
ABDULLAH'S ONE YEAR OLD SON WHO, ACCORDING TO THE CP'S 
PERSONAL PHYSICIAN, IS A SOURCE OF GREAT PRIDE, COMING 
AS HE DID AFTER A LONG STREAK OF DAUGHTERS.) 
 
O    YOUNGER GENERATION: 
 
IN ADDITION TO PRINCE TURKI BIN ABDULLAH BIN MUHAMMAD 
BIN SAUD AL KABIR, THE ADVISER CUM PRIVATE SECRETARY TO 
THE CROWN PRINCE, ANOTHER GROUP OF THIRD AND FOURTH 
GENERATION PRINCES PRESENT IN HAFR MAY BE ABDULLAH'S 
SON-IN-LAWS.  ONE WHOM WE CAN POSITIVELY IDENTIFY AS A 
SON-IN-LAW (AND FELLOW EQUESTRIAN ENTHUSIAST) IS THE 
SANG WESTERN COMMANDER WHO REPLACED KHALID BIN ABDULLAH 
-- HRH PRINCE FAYSAL BIN ABDULLAH BIN MUHAMMAD AL SAUD. 
WE ARE NOT CERTAIN ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP OF PRINCE 
FAYSAL BIN THAMIR BIN ABD AL-AZIZ (THE SOLE OFF-SPRING 
OF THAMIR, WHO COMMITTED SUICIDE IN THE U.S. IN 1957 
FOLLOWING A SEX CHANGE OPERATION) AND PRINCE KHALID BIN 
BANDAR BIN MUHAMMAD BIN ABD AL-AZIZ. 
 
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COMMENT 
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6.  (C)  ABDULLAH'S ENTOURAGE ILLUSTRATES THE ALLIANCES 
HE HAS FORMED WITHIN THE ROYAL FAMILY AMONG BROTHERS 
WHOSE SENIORITY, IN TERMS OF AGE, IS NOT MATCHED BY 
PREMIER GOVERNMENT POSTINGS.  REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE 
CROWN PRINCE'S FAMILY SUPPORTERS SHARE THE SAME POLICY 
OBJECTIVES, IT IS CLEARLY IN THE PERSONAL POLITICAL 
INTERESTS OF THESE PRINCELY "HAVE-NOTS," DISADVANTAGED 
BY NON-SAUDI MATERNAL LINEAGE OR A POOR RECORD IN 
GOVERNMENT OFFICE, TO BAND TOGETHER AGAINST THE TIDE OF 
SUDAYRI BROTHERS, NUMERICALLY RICH AND POWERFULLY 
POSITIONED.  AT THE SAME TIME, THEIR INCLUSION IN 
ABDULLAH'S VACATION RETREAT REINFORCES IN THE PUBLIC 
MIND THAT WHILE THE CROWN PRINCE MAY BE AN ONLY 
(MATERNAL) CHILD, HIS FAMILY BACKING AMONG THE SURVIVING 
SONS OF ABD AL-AZIZ IS SECURE. 
 
 
MABUS