Australian officials will be attending and supporting a Saudi government conference that some of the world’s most prominent business figures are boycotting in the wake of growing evidence the theocracy murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi. However, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has refused to guarantee the safety of Australian residents who may have to use Saudi diplomatic facilities here.
Hyped as an equivalent to the World Economic Forum’s annual neoliberal gathering in Davos, the Saudi regime’s Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh later this month purports to be “a platform to drive expert-led debate, discussion, and partnerships among the world’s most visionary and influential leaders in business, government, and civil society” and is a personal initiative of Mohammed bin Salman, the dominant autocrat within the regime.
This year, the second for the event, media companies have abandoned it in droves following evidence of the regime’s luring Khashoggi into its Istanbul embassy, murdering him and dismembering his corpse. The Economist, The New York Times, the Financial Times and Bloomberg are all boycotting the event. A number of other high-profile business figures have also withdrawn, including Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan, Stephen Schwarman of Blackstone, Larry Fink of BlackRock, Arianna Huffington, Dara Khosrowshahi of Uber, and Richard Branson.
But the Australian government is supporting the event, despite belatedly expressing concern about Khashoggi last week. Austrade is promoting the event as “a valuable opportunity to explore investment partnerships with Saudi Arabia in priority sectors — services and technology, agriculture and food, and resources and energy”, with Austrade committing to “organise client and investor meetings during FII supporting inward investment to Australia and targeted outward investment projects by Australian businesses”.
Asked for details of Australia’s involvement, Austrade told Crikey the government is expected to be represented by Australia’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Austrade’s general manager for the Middle East & Africa. Our current ambassador is experienced diplomat and PM&C bureaucrat Ridwaan Jadwat, while former food industry businessman Ian Halliday is the relevant general manager.
DFAT, which has promoted Saudi Arabia trade links for many years despite its appalling human rights record, declined to provide a detailed answer to Crikey’s questions about what actions it has taken in the wake of the Khashoggi disappearance regarding safety at Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic facilities in Canberra. Pointing to Foreign Minister Marise Payne’s anodyne expression of concern about Khashoggi, it declined to offer a guarantee for the safety of people who use those facilities. Khashoggi vanished while undertaking a routine administrative requirement within the Istanbul consulate. The Saudis have an embassy in Yarralumla in Canberra, a cultural office in Turner as well as a visa office in Civic near the Australian National University.
Bernard, Saudi Arabia is a kingdom in the true historical form, not a theocracy. Although its Arabic name “al Mamlakat al Arabiya as Saudiya” is officially translated as “the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” a better translation grammatically and practically is “the Saudi Kingdom of Arabia.” It belongs to the Saud family as its kingdom. The ruling Saud family has an arrangement with the predominant religious establishment in the country that the family won’t interfere on the religious side and the religious establishment won’t interfere with the politics. Obviously there is some overlap between the two where they both have a stake as there is to a much lesser extent in Western countries where only Christian holidays are public holidays and only Christian prayers are recited in Parliament.
‘DFAT, which has promoted Saudi Arabia trade links for many years despite its appalling human rights record…’
Saudi Arabia has magnanimously overlooked Australia’s current human rights violations so we appear to be compatible bedfellows.
However, it’s unlikely there will be any more disappearances for the foreseeable future; the Saudis will play a cautious game in the hope the West forgets. If they get away with Khashoggi’s death it will then be back to business as usual.
Just another point. “DFAT, which has promoted Saudi Arabia trade links for many years despite its appalling human rights record,” – yes, we do that. We trade with China despite its alleged thousands of executions every year and its interning now of minorities in the millions. We trade with Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines, we trade with a big power we call our Great Ally despite its police regularly shooting dead unarmed citizens and its armed forces running rampant across a number of countries. Unpleasant as it may be, we have to trade with countries whose governments do some bad things, unlike ours which would never send troops and planes where they serve no good purpose, would never condemn people who have broken no law to island hell holes… – Oh, wait…
“Pssst. I got 20 grams on integrity left – and that’s it. How much’llyagimmeforit?”
A ‘cultural’ office?