ALKHOBAR, 5 August 2005 — In the Eastern Province, life is returning to its sleepy summer pace with the conclusion of ceremonies related to the death of King Fahd and the accession of King Abdullah. Yesterday there were no helicopters in the air and no impromptu checkpoints on the roads. However, Saudi Aramco’s popular music radio station, 91.4 FM, has not resumed broadcasts.

On Wednesday in Dammam, citizens from the Eastern Region came to the governorate to pay their respects and express their allegiance to the new king. In the main majlis of the governorate approximately 300 chairs were set up to accommodate the citizens who came in the morning for the event.

Prince Jalawi ibn Abdul Aziz ibn Musaid, deputy governor of the Eastern Province, arrived at 10:15 and the citizens moved forward in two lines to greet him. Whispering to the crowd, bodyguards advised “Salam musafeh,” — to shake hands with the prince instead of the traditional kissing.

It was noticeable that the queues were made up of mostly middle aged and elderly Saudis. The few young men at the event were mostly accompanying their elderly relatives. Businessmen, university officials, tribal elders, bedouin and Islamic scholars all turned out to pledge their allegiance to the new king — although there was no set formula in which to do so. Most of the citizens simply said “Peace be with you,” as they shook hands. Some clearly stated, “I pledge allegiance to King Abdullah” and a few were more verbose.

Uniformed representatives of the military and police from the Eastern Region approached Prince Jalawi after the citizens had given him their greetings. Colonels, majors and generals smartly stepped forward to formally pledge their allegiance to the king.

Immediately after the greetings had concluded, the prince sat down again with the citizens for a few minutes of informal conversation. He thanked the citizens for coming to meet with him, recognizing that some of those from the villages had traveled long distances. He also condoled the citizens on the death of King Fahd.

After this comment, an elder sitting near the prince immediately spoke up and conveyed the sentiment that he was not worried about the future. He stated that he trusted that the leadership of Saudi Arabia would press forward with developments and in strength. He added that the trust of the Saudi people is with the “noble leadership.”

Informed that additional citizens had come to pledge their allegiance Prince Jalawi stood once again. The ceremony concluded well before Dhur prayer. It must be said that while the event was very solemn, a genuine feeling of warmth and solidarity could be felt throughout the proceedings.

Traveling through Dammam and Alkhobar yesterday, there are tangible signs that the citizens of Saudi Arabia are ready to move forward to a future with King Abdullah. On Dhahran Road two of the electronic signboards were still showing pictorials of King Fahd and messages of condolence. A third signboard however added to its condolences a message of allegiance and congratulations to King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan.