**2006**

**U.S. Embassy Riyadh Celebrates Independence Day**

# Ambassador\'s Remarks

Introduction

**Your Royal Highness (Insert name of Principal SAG Representative),
distinguished guests, friends - Saudis and Americans.**

**Anita and I, and all of our colleagues here at the American Embassy in
Riyadh, welcome you all here tonight, to Quincy House, to celebrate the
230th anniversary of the founding of the United States, the day we
declared our independence as a sovereign nation.**

**Here in the Kingdom we have celebrated America's national birthday on
different dates over the years -- this year we are celebrating on April
26^th^ for the first time. Back home, of course, the date is July
4^th^.**

**[When]{.underline} we celebrate, however, is much less important than
[what]{.underline} we celebrate -- as is clear from a letter John Adams,
later to be our 2nd president, wrote to his wife from Philadelphia, site
of the Continental Congress that voted to declare America's
independence:**

-   **"The [second]{.underline} day of July, 1776," he wrote, "will be
    the most memorable (date) in the history of America . . . it will be
    celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary
    festival . . . It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with
    shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from
    one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for
    evermore."**

**Well, Mr. Adams was off by a couple of days. Although [the
vote]{.underline} to declare our independence came on [July
2](http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery;jsessionid=tbm620xlosu2?method=4&dsid=2222&dekey=July+2&curtab=2222_1&sbid=lc01a),
the actual document was only published two days later; and so July 4th
-- not July 2nd - became our national holiday.**

**The rest of his prediction has proven true enough, though: every year
we Americans, whoever we are and wherever we are, come together to
celebrate - with a good bit of "pomp and parade" what it is we share as
Americans: not a single race or religion, national origin or, even,
language. What we share is a common commitment to a system of government
and to a set of values anchored in tolerance, individual liberties and
the rule of law.**

**So, welcome to all, whatever the date, as we celebrate together the
230th year of America's independence.**

Tonight's Theme

**We have a special theme for our celebration this year here tonight in
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: We are saluting America's great
universities. This is not a college fair -- although our Educational
Advising Office here in the Embassy does those, too. We have tried not
to single out any particular university for special mention - if we had
you would see a lot more orange out there for my university, The
University of Texas!**

**Instead, what we want to convey is a sense of the great richness and
diversity of America's universities and colleges -- over 4,000 of them
-- and of the great opportunity they represent for the over half-million
international students currently pursuing degree studies in the United
States.**

History

**For over two generations, Saudi students have come to America for
higher education. Immediately after World War II, however, as Americans
and Saudis worked together in so many areas to forge the strong alliance
that endures to this day, the student exchange numbers were small: in
1950, just 13 courageous young Saudis said good-bye to their families
and boarded ships -- no Boeing 747s in those days - for America. Ten
years later, the numbers were still modest -- only 93 as President
Eisenhower left office, but then the numbers shot up rapidly. By 1970,
there were over 1,000 Saudis studying in the United States. Ten years
later, the total was over 10,000.**

**Meanwhile, back home the Saudi government was making a tremendous
investment in its own educational system, that now includes 15 public
and 9 private universities, over one hundred specialized colleges and
institutes, thousands of secondary schools and tens of thousands of
primary schools. With over 25% of the national budget going into
education, the numbers of Saudi students going abroad fell back somewhat
during the 1980s, with the number in the United States stabilizing at
around 5,000. Those numbers, however, still represented many of this
country's best and brightest, and their study in the United States has
proven invaluable to the mutual understanding and close cooperation
between our two countries.**

Then came September 11, 2001.

**Contrary to popular belief, the total numbers of Saudis studying in
the U.S. did not drop to zero after September 11. Most Saudi students
enrolled in U.S. programs continued their studies, but new applications
did drop off, as some students and their families wondered if the door
to American education was still open to them, and if America's
traditional welcome to students from Saudi Arabia would still be there
for them.**

**Back in the United States, far-sighted government officials and
educators were concerned about this drop. They realized the importance
of protecting international educational exchange, even as we retooled
our border security and visa procedures.**

**It hasn't been a completely smooth road, but I am pleased to be able
to say tonight that the door to higher education in the United States is
open wider than ever to Saudi students. We welcome them and are actively
seeking to recruit them.**

Current Efforts

**The Kingdom has a burgeoning population, and we recognize that most
Saudi students in the years ahead will study at home. That is only
natural. More than 5 million students are currently enrolled in the
Kingdom's public education system. At the same time, the Saudi
government is wisely dedicating expanded resources to scholarship
programs to rebuild the levels of Saudis able to study abroad, not just
in the U.S. but in other countries around the world.**

**We Americans hope that a sizable percentage of Saudi students who
choose an international educational experience will continue to choose
to have that experience in the U.S. We are proud of our great
universities, colleges and institutes. Ours is a flexible and diverse
system that attracts and serves well students and scholars from around
the world.**

**As President Bush put it:**

-   *\"We ... encourage international students to take part in our
    educational system. \... The relationships that are formed between
    individuals from different countries, as part of international
    education programs and exchanges \... foster goodwill that develops
    into vibrant, mutually beneficial partnerships among nations.\"*

**My friend and colleague, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the U.S. Prince
Turki bin Faisal, has recently been touring the United States, visiting
Saudi students and speaking to civic groups about the importance of
international educational exchange. As he told a group just last month
in my home state of Texas, currently host to 232 Saudi students:**

-   *"the people of Saudi Arabia have a lot to offer the world
    community. Through improved education and exposure to the world at
    large, we (Saudis) hope to facilitate continued, beneficial
    international relations. A country's best ambassadors are its
    people."*

**I could not agree with him more.**

**On our side, we are working hard, too, to expand our educational
advising services and, especially, our visa operations so that Saudi
students can complete their applications in a timely manner and have
their visas processed as quickly as possible. Even as we deal with our
legitimate border security concerns, we are working to ensure a healthy
balance between openness and security. We are hiring more consular
officers, giving them new technology and more training, and we are
sending them out to speak to local audiences about our new procedures.**

**We are now issuing over 1,000 student visas per month in Riyadh, and
we hope to be able to open up visa services in Dhahran and Jeddah again,
as well, as soon as circumstances permit.**

**As our Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Maura Harty
-- soon to visit us here -- recently told a conference of U.S.
University Presidents:**

-   *"\[W\]e just could not be more serious about welcoming (foreign
    students) and making (their visa application process) as efficient
    as it can be, so that from the very moment they decide to study at
    an American college or university, we are part of the process that
    welcomes them . . ."*

**For those of you with children of your own, or relatives, or friends,
considering study in the U.S., I encourage you to look at the Department
of State's special web site \-- 
[www.travel.state.gov](http://www.travel.state.gov/) \-- for the latest
information on visa procedures and traveling to the United States. **

Thoughts for the Future

**I think it is particularly fitting that we take a minute from our
festivities tonight, as we celebrate the past, to look ahead to our
shared future, as well.**

**Clearly, we are facing some major challenges in the world today, and
the need has never been greater for Saudis and Americans to understand
each other and to work together effectively. One way we will do that is
by maintaining our commitment to a healthy level of educational exchange
between our two countries.**

**As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a former professor at Stanford
University, recently said:**

-   *"I witnessed the life-changing potential of international exchange
    (both) among my American students who studied abroad and among the
    diverse foreign students . . . from every region of the world who
    regularly enriched my classrooms in ways that only they could do
    \..."*

**We Americans want to intensify our educational and cultural exchanges
with the entire Middle East, thereby building greater mutual
understanding and future constituencies for strong and mutually
beneficial bilateral relationships. Ignorance of "the other" only
contributes to demagoguery, stereotyping and hatred -- and, sadly, we
have far too much of that in our world today.**

**While educational exchanges, travel, and other personal experiences do
not completely neutralize such hostility, they can help move it into a
space in which it can be more effectively managed.**

**I think it is clear that we are now embarking on a long-term effort,
to win over the next generation of leaders -- on both sides of the
Atlantic - not necessarily to all of each other's policies and
positions, but to a solid relationship of mutual understanding, and
trust, and cooperation. A central part of that effort must be
educational exchange.**

**As Nelson Mandela, the great South African statesman who faced so many
challenges in his own lifetime to overcome demagoguery, stereotyping,
and hatred has often said:**

-   *"Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the
    world."*

**Closer to home, our own Karen Hughes -- President Bush's long-time
advisor and now Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy --
constantly repeats this message:**

-   *"The single most successful thing we can do (to defeat violent
    extremism in the world today) is to bring people here (to the U.S.)
    and let them see America for themselves. That will help them
    understand us in a way they didn't before."*

**So, let us all be resolved, as we celebrate this 230th anniversary of
American independence here tonight, to work together to expand the
dialogue and interactions between our citizens, and especially via
student exchanges, so that Saudi-American friendship will continue into
the next generation as strong and as vital as it has been ever since
President Roosevelt first shook the hand of King Abdul Aziz on the deck
of the USS Quincy, some 61 years ago.**

Closing

**Before I close, I would like to thank the entertainers and staff who
have worked so hard to make this National Day celebration such an
enjoyable occasion. I would also like to thank our corporate sponsors
who have donated so generously to make this event possible -- please
take a look at their signs by the entrance before you leave.**

**Most of all, I want to thank all of you, our guests, for honoring us
with your presence here at Quincy House tonight. Have a wonderful time,
and I will look forward to visiting with each and every one of you.
*Ahlan wa Sahlan*, welcome to all, and please enjoy the rest of the
evening.**