Perhaps another confirmation of what we may see in the future of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah promised Condoleezza Rice that the kingdom would be sufficiently liberalized to hold national elections within 15 years.

Saudi King Abdullah promised Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice a series of reforms that could give the desert kingdom an elected government within 10 to 15 years, says a senior U.S. official who was present when the two met in June.
“He professed to transform his country and talked about having a representative government within a decade or a decade and a half,” said the official, who asked not to be named.
The 82-year-old king made the pledge during a June 20 visit by Miss Rice to the capital, Riyadh, when he was still crown prince and the kingdom’s de facto ruler.
It is thought to be the first time a Saudi ruler has attached a timeline to moving toward a democratic process.
The Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to attempts to verify the U.S. official’s account.

I believe it for a couple of reasons. First of all, King Abdullah does have a genuine reputation as a reformist. The vibe going around seems pretty positive. Signs of diversification in the economy, municipal elections, allowing women to vote in the next ones, and the broad discussion ongoing in Saudi newspapers over such issues gives me optimism all in itself.

It is in the royal family’s vested interest to bring about reform and, eventually, a democratic government — their own future depends on it. Some might say that the country should hold elections immediately so as to prove their commitment to democracy. That would be stupid. The very point of democratic governance is creating a system in which the rights and freedoms of everyone are protected. Elections are part of that, but it is not the end all solution. Reforms that liberalize the economy and political system must come slowly and steadily so that the political culture itself becomes different. Should elections be held now, Islamic radicals could very possibly win, therefore creating a situation for freedom even worse than now.

If it takes fifteen years for that to happen, so be it.