RIYADH, 31 October — A new book highlighting Saudi Arabia’s achievements over the last two decades has been brought out as part of the celebrations marking 20th anniversary of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd’s reign.
The lavishly illustrated book, "The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud — 20 Years of Achievements," is published on behalf of the Ministry of Information.
In his introduction to the book, Minister of Information Dr. Fuad Al-Farsi points out that under Fahd’s leadership the Kingdom has become the focus of attention of Arabs and Muslims as well as all peace-loving people around the globe.
Dr. Al-Farsi further said that King Fahd has been acclaimed as a campaigner of world peace who settled disputes and promoted peoples’ just causes. "He is renowned for his farsightedness and brave stances toward regional and international developments. King Fahd has adopted a methodical approach in tackling issues of destiny as regards the livelihood of the citizen, the future of the homeland and welfare of the human society."
Among the largest projects carried out by the Kingdom under the personal supervision of King Fahd are the extension of the Holy Haram in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, according to the book. The projects, executed at a cost of SR72 billion ($20 billion), took ten years to complete.
The Kingdom has spent more than SR4,200 billion on national development during the last 27 years, the book says.
In terms of humanitarian assistance, it said King Fahd’s personal donations amounted to SR369.25 million for the reconstruction of Bosnia-Herzegovina. King Fahd pitched in with another SR150 million for the war-stricken Somalia.
