Abdullah, Sultan Visit Prince Fawaz

JEDDAH, 10 August 2005 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan yesterday visited Prince Fawaz at King Faisal Specialist Hospital here and wished him speedy recovery.

The king and crown prince also visited Fawaz Al-Bishry, Dr. Ahmed Al-Shukry and Khaled Rashid who are patients at the same hospital.

King Abdullah arrived in Jeddah earlier in the day on his first visit to the city after taking over power.

Crown Prince Sultan, Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed and other senior princes and top officials were present at the airport to greet the king.

King Abdullah was accompanied by Prince Miteb, minister of public works and housing, Prince Nawaf, personal adviser to the king, and Interior Minister Prince Naif.

Other princes who arrived with the king included Prince Miteb ibn Abdullah, assistant commander of the National Guard for military affairs, and Prince Muhammad ibn Nawaf, ambassador to Italy.

Finance Minister Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf, Muhammad Al-Asheikh, chief of royal protocols, Ibrahim Al-Tasan, head of the king’s personal affairs, Khaled Al-Tuwaijeri, the king’s private secretary, and Dr. Fahd Al-Abdul Jabbar, supervisor of royal clinics were other senior officials with the king.

King Abdullah was declared the country’s new sovereign on Aug. 1 following the demise of King Fahd. Several foreign dignitaries and delegations visited the Kingdom over the past week to convey their condolences on King Fahd’s death.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Turki, secretary-general of the Muslim World League (MWL), said his organization had received many messages of condolences from Islamic scholars and heads of Islamic centers in different parts of the world.

“The Islamic scholars and leaders commended King Fahd’s efforts in the service of Islam, especially in the expansion of the two Holy Mosques and distribution of copies of the Qur’an and its translations around the world,” he said.

Al-Turki said they also expressed their delight over the smooth transition of power to King Abdullah and the massive turnout of Saudis to pledge their allegiance to the new king and crown prince.

“They were also happy with the king’s first address to the nation, reaffirming his resolve to implement Shariah and work for realizing the interests of Islam and Muslims,” he added.

Al-Turki said Islamic leaders around the world had expressed their full confidence in King Abdullah, adding that they had praised the king’s efforts to strengthen Muslim unity.

“The heads of Islamic centers and societies in various parts of the world have voiced their support to Saudi Arabia and agreed to work with it for disseminating the true message of Islam and fighting extremism and terrorism,” the MWL chief said in a statement.

In a related development, a documentary on King Fahd and his achievements was screened at Canberra International Exhibition, which was opened in the Australian city on Saturday.

Saudi Ambassador to Australia Hassan Talaat Nazer said the Kingdom’s new leadership would forge ahead with more development programs, following in the footsteps of King Fahd.

Speaking to reporters after visiting the Saudi pavilion at the expo, he thanked the Australian people for the good feelings and support they expressed toward Saudi Arabia and its people after King Fahd’s death.