RIYADH, 17 May 2007 — Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, governor of the Asir region and director general of King Faisal Foundation, has been appointed governor of the Makkah region. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah made the appointment yesterday in a royal decree.

Prince Khaled’s appointment comes following the death of Prince Abdul Majeed, who served as Makkah governor from 2000 until he died on May 5, 2007 at Seattle University Hospital in the United States following a prolonged illness. Prince Faisal ibn Khaled ibn Abdul Aziz is the new Asir governor.

King Abdullah issued a series of royal decrees extending the terms of Prince Sultan ibn Fahd, chief of the Youth Welfare Presidency, Prince Faisal ibn Abdullah ibn Muhammad, assistant to the chief of intelligence, and Sulaiman Al-Humaid, governor of the General Organization for Social Insurance, for four years.

The king also appointed Dr. Khaled ibn Ahmed ibn Abdul Rahman Boubasheet president of Saudi Ports Authority and Dr. Abdul Rahman ibn Abdullah Al-Barrak assistant chairman of the Shoura Council, the Saudi Press Agency said.

Meanwhile, Prince Khaled speaking at the inauguration of the Alfaisal University last night said he was honored by the appointment. The audience applauded when the event’s master of ceremonies introduced him as the governor of Makkah. “It is the most precious trust given to me by the highest man in this country. I bear this trust given to me, which I have been honored with and which has been given to me by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,” he said.

“I want to thank Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan, and Interior Minister Prince Naif. I ask God Almighty that I am worthy of this trust, which is required for the sacredness of the area (Makkah),” said the prince, adding that the first thing he intends to do on arrival in Makkah is to pray at the Grand Mosque.

Prince Khaled said he was not regretful for a single moment he had spent in Asir as governor. “I have spent the best years of my youth in Asir… The sons of Asir and their families have made my work a pleasure and I thank them for that,” he said, adding that he had spent 36 years in Asir as governor.

The new governor of Makkah is expected to arrive in the Governorate within the next few days to take up his new assignment.

On Prince Khaled’s arrival at the forum yesterday night, one of the first people to congratulate him and shake the prince’s hand was Arab News Editor in Chief Khaled Almaeena, who congratulated him on the new position.

Saudis and expatriates have expressed their happiness over the appointment of Prince Khaled as the new Makkah governor and hope he will bring about more reforms and development in the region. “Prince Khaled has played a big role in the development of the Asir region. We have full confidence that he will carry on his developmental activities for the welfare and prosperity of people in the region,” said Muhammad Bin Ahmed Tayeb, director general of the Foreign Ministry’s office in the Makkah region.

Born in 1940, Prince Khaled, who is the son of King Faisal, is a great thinker and poet and an accomplished artist. He was the governor of Asir region in southwestern Saudi Arabia from 1971, a spectacular region that has inspired the prince in his artwork. Prior to his appointment as Asir governor, he served as head of the Youth Welfare Presidency. Prince Khaled has a degree in political economy from Oxford University.

Prince Khaled is president of the Arab Thought Foundation, an independent, nongovernmental foundation. The new governor is a close friend of the Prince of Wales with whom Prince Khaled launched the Painting & Patronage initiative, which brought together the two royal artists and patrons of the arts in the largest cultural exchange program between Saudi Arabia and Britain.

Brig. Turki Al-Qenawi, director of Makkah police, said the appointment of Prince Khaled as the new governor reflected the king’s farsightedness. Col. Ahmed Al-Otaibi, director of Makkah traffic, wished all the best to the new governor and prayed to Allah that He would help him serve the people of the region as well as pilgrims.

Sheikh Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, director general of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in the Makkah region, said he was happy with the king’s decision. “Prince Khaled is known for his wisdom and his good administrative capabilities,” he added. Mansour Abu Rayyash, a businessman in Makkah, commended Prince Khaled’s achievements in the Asir region. Dr. Khaled Al-Sumairy, director of health in Makkah, was happy at the appointment. “We’ll extend the governor our full support,” he added.

— With input from Badea Abu Al-Naja