Saudi Ambassador to the United States Prince Turki Al-Faisal addressed the inaugural meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York Friday as part of a session on Islam and the West. In his remarks, Prince Turki underscored the importance of realizing the goals of democracy by enabling citizens and other segments of the community to participate in the decision-making process.
Regarding the ongoing reform process in the Kingdom, Prince Turki commented that the Kingdom has adopted a policy of gradual reform instead of imposing reform on society. He pointed out that the view of Saudi society towards women has been changed not by imposing legislation, but by encouraging women to become educated and exercise her rights as approved by Islam.
At the conference, Prince Turki also met with former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who highlighted the existing friendly relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States.
More than 800 international officials currently attending the 60th session of the U.N.'s General Assembly have participated in the three-day Clinton Global Initiative conference, held on the fringes of the General Assembly meetings. Participants have discussed a number of international issues including combating poverty, climate change, health issues and global development.
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