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CNN Live At Daybreak

Look at Americans Who Call Saudi Arabia Home

Aired November 14, 2002 - 05:36   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Tens of thousands of Americans call Saudi Arabia home. Their lifestyle may seem similar to other Americans.
But as CNN's Christiane Amanpour reports in the final part of her series, the events of 9/11 have prompted them to be more vigilant.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM OWEN, SAUDI ARAMCO: Is that the right saddle?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On weekends, the Owen family likes to go horseback riding in the desert. Tom Owen is a second generation American raised in Saudi Arabia. Now he's raising his own children here.

OWEN: The major trade-off is being so far away from your family. Of course, in our family we've taken care of that one. We brought them all over here.

AMANPOUR: Saudi Aramco is the world's biggest oil company. Aramcons, as they call themselves, live in a company compound similar to any U.S. military compound overseas, with their own leisure activities, medical services and commissaries. Other nationals, including Saudis, live here, too.

KATHEY OWEN: The events of 9/11 have put a tension there that I don't think they feel good about, we don't feel good about. And it's just very sad.

AMANPOUR: But things are getting back to normal. Altogether, some 40,000 Americans live and work across Saudi Arabia.

(on camera): Americans are on high alert. There are frequent warnings telling them not to look suspicious in public, not to leave their cars unattended, to check under the hoods. But apart from one incident last year in which one American was killed, U.S. officials here say there has been no violence specifically targeted at the American community.

(voice-over): Indeed, many say they feel safer here than on the mean streets of urban America.

JAMES RYLANDS, SAUDI ARAMCO: It's a safe place. It gives me a good environment for my family. They're safe here. We have a good school system. As a family man, this is the place for me to be.

AMANPOUR: Well paid jobs brought them here, but they say the lifestyle keeps them here.

CATHY RYLANDS: Their sense of community that's missing in the States, as well. You know, your neighbors becomes your aunts and uncles and grandmothers and grandfathers. And so it's hard to find that. That's why it's so hard to leave here.

AMANPOUR: Inside the compound, women are not restricted.

CATHY RYLANDS: I'm able to drive on the campo. I'm able to jog, go to the beach, go to the pool. But once I'm off camp, I respect the customs here.

AMANPOUR: The Americans we talked to say they regret what they call a post-September 11 campaign against Saudi Arabia by some in the U.S. government and the media.

MICHELLE ALI-REZA: Most of the people in the United States don't know anything about Saudi Arabia. They don't know anything about the people. And the people here are not, I mean, they're not terrorists. They're not, you know, fundamentalists, for the most part.

AMANPOUR: Michelle's husband Shihab is Saudi.

SHIHAB ALI-REZA, SAUDI ARAMCO: You know, we don't have a democracy so we don't really have a say in what happens. And in a way, we perceive that about Americans. It's George Bush that's causing trouble, you know, we're not thinking she's at fault or anything like that. So there's not a lot of animosity between Americans and Saudis.

AMANPOUR: In fact, many say they learn a lot living in this multicultural environment. They say they are more sensitive to how their government's policies affect the people of this region. And after an alliance that has lasted 70 years, Americans say they still have most favored expat status.

Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired November 14, 2002 - 05:36   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Tens of thousands of Americans call Saudi Arabia home. Their lifestyle may seem similar to other Americans.
But as CNN's Christiane Amanpour reports in the final part of her series, the events of 9/11 have prompted them to be more vigilant.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM OWEN, SAUDI ARAMCO: Is that the right saddle?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On weekends, the Owen family likes to go horseback riding in the desert. Tom Owen is a second generation American raised in Saudi Arabia. Now he's raising his own children here.

OWEN: The major trade-off is being so far away from your family. Of course, in our family we've taken care of that one. We brought them all over here.

AMANPOUR: Saudi Aramco is the world's biggest oil company. Aramcons, as they call themselves, live in a company compound similar to any U.S. military compound overseas, with their own leisure activities, medical services and commissaries. Other nationals, including Saudis, live here, too.

KATHEY OWEN: The events of 9/11 have put a tension there that I don't think they feel good about, we don't feel good about. And it's just very sad.

AMANPOUR: But things are getting back to normal. Altogether, some 40,000 Americans live and work across Saudi Arabia.

(on camera): Americans are on high alert. There are frequent warnings telling them not to look suspicious in public, not to leave their cars unattended, to check under the hoods. But apart from one incident last year in which one American was killed, U.S. officials here say there has been no violence specifically targeted at the American community.

(voice-over): Indeed, many say they feel safer here than on the mean streets of urban America.

JAMES RYLANDS, SAUDI ARAMCO: It's a safe place. It gives me a good environment for my family. They're safe here. We have a good school system. As a family man, this is the place for me to be.

AMANPOUR: Well paid jobs brought them here, but they say the lifestyle keeps them here.

CATHY RYLANDS: Their sense of community that's missing in the States, as well. You know, your neighbors becomes your aunts and uncles and grandmothers and grandfathers. And so it's hard to find that. That's why it's so hard to leave here.

AMANPOUR: Inside the compound, women are not restricted.

CATHY RYLANDS: I'm able to drive on the campo. I'm able to jog, go to the beach, go to the pool. But once I'm off camp, I respect the customs here.

AMANPOUR: The Americans we talked to say they regret what they call a post-September 11 campaign against Saudi Arabia by some in the U.S. government and the media.

MICHELLE ALI-REZA: Most of the people in the United States don't know anything about Saudi Arabia. They don't know anything about the people. And the people here are not, I mean, they're not terrorists. They're not, you know, fundamentalists, for the most part.

AMANPOUR: Michelle's husband Shihab is Saudi.

SHIHAB ALI-REZA, SAUDI ARAMCO: You know, we don't have a democracy so we don't really have a say in what happens. And in a way, we perceive that about Americans. It's George Bush that's causing trouble, you know, we're not thinking she's at fault or anything like that. So there's not a lot of animosity between Americans and Saudis.

AMANPOUR: In fact, many say they learn a lot living in this multicultural environment. They say they are more sensitive to how their government's policies affect the people of this region. And after an alliance that has lasted 70 years, Americans say they still have most favored expat status.

Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com