Hans Jakob Ginsburg, an economic reporter working in Germany�s Wirtschafts Woche, is one of the few foreign reporters permitted to visit Saudi Arabia. IRNA recently reported his experiences of visiting the Arab country.

Here is IFP�s translation of excerpts from his remarks made at the 3rd Transatlantic Assembly meeting entitled �The Iran-Saudi Conflict and the West�.

 

�Unlike Iran, Saudi Arabia permits only a few foreign reporters to enter the country. Saudi Arabia is a very strange and closed country, and the version of Islam followed by the al-Saud ruling system can only be seen in this country,� Ginsburg said.

He then referred to the reforms Saudi rulers have promised to make, and said, �I�m sceptical about reforms in Saudi Arabia, and don�t think such measures can be successful.�

�Saudi Arabia is governed like a family store, so there is a risk that if the incumbent government is toppled, the country would fall into the hands of radical Islamists,� he added.

 



 

The three-day meeting, to discuss �The Iran-Saudi Conflict and the West,� started on Friday in Gummersbach, Germany.

Issues related to Iran, its conflict with Saudi Arabia and the opening of Iran�s doors toward the West were discussed at the event.

This article was translated by IFP from IRNA.