JEDDAH: In what may prove a particularly incendiary cable, US diplomats describe a world of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll behind parties thrown by Saudi Arabia's elite.

Jeddah consulate officials described an underground Halloween party which broke all the country's taboos. Liquor and prostitutes were present in abundance, according to leaked dispatches, behind the heavily-guarded villa gates.

The diplomats said the host's identity should be kept secret. An energy drinks company also put up some of the finance.

“Alcohol, though strictly prohibited by Saudi law and custom, was plentiful at the party's well-stocked bar. The hired Filipino bartenders served a cocktail punch using sadiqi, a locally-made moonshine,” the cable said.

“It was also learned through word-of-mouth that a number of the guests were in fact 'working girls', not uncommon for such parties.” The dispatch from the US partygoers, signed off by the consul in Jeddah, Martin Quinn, added: “Though not witnessed directly at this event, cocaine and hashish use is common in these social circles.”

The underground party scene is “thriving and throbbing” in Saudi Arabia thanks to official protection, the dispatch said. But it is only available behind closed doors and for the very rich.

More than 150 Saudi men and women, most in their 20s and 30s, were at the party. The patronage of the powerful meant the feared religious police kept a distance. Admission was controlled through a strict guest list. “The scene resembled a nightclub anywhere outside the kingdom: plentiful alcohol, young couples dancing, a DJ at the turntables and everyone in costume.”

The dispatch said the bar featured a top shelf of well-known brands of liquor, the original contents reportedly replaced with sadiqi. On the black market, they reported, a bottle of Smirnoff vodka can cost 1,500 riyals compared with 100 riyals for the locally-made vodka.

One young Saudi told the diplomat that big parties were a recent trend. Even a few years ago, he said, the only weekend activity was “dating” among small groups who met inside the homes of the rich.— Dawn-Guardian News Service