A three-member U.S. Congress delegation, currently on a visit to the Kingdom, held a press conference in Riyadh today to highlight the talking points they raised with the Saudi leadership and senior officials during their tour of seven nations in the region.
At the outset of the conference, Senator Chuck Hagel said the talks with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, the Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, and Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister were about general issues as usual, noting that relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are very important to the U.S.
He indicated that the U.S. appreciates the deep-rooted ties binding the two countries for a number of reasons and that it plans to strengthen these relations.
In response to a question about why some Congress members hail the Kingdom when they visit it, while others criticize it when they return to America, Hagel attributed criticisms to lack of information about the Kingdom.
"So, such introductory visits are very important to fill the knowledge and cultural gap, emphasizing that the United States will never try to impose its values, standards or principles on any other country in the world", he said, adding that: "We do respect all countries and their cultures and history."
On Saudi Arabia's accession to the WTO, Hagel said this step will be of mutual benefit to the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.
Congress member Ellen Tauscher said economic relations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia are firm and that: "We support the accession of Saudi Arabia to the WTO".
Senator Tom Carbier added that there are many joint interests between the two countries that need to be focused, admitting that differences always exist between individuals and countries.
