Prince Khaled made this statement while chairing a meeting of the Central Haj Committee in Makkah on Saturday.

“The directives and support of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah had the maximum impact in achieving a great success in this year’s Haj,” the prince said.

The prince also commended the role of Crown Prince Naif, deputy premier and interior minister, in making the Haj an unprecedented success, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

“Reviewing the preparations made and steps taken for the Haj in 2011 in order to benefit from its experience to make better preparations for the Haj in 2012” is one of the goals of the present meeting of the committee, the prince said.

The prince thanked all workers in the private and public sectors for their dedicated service to pilgrims.

The meeting was briefed on the number of pilgrims currently remaining in Makkah and Madinah besides the statistics of departing pilgrims.

It also discussed the achievements and negative factors noted during the Haj season.

They also discussed the planning and schedules for the projects and measures to be taken for next year’s Haj so that they could be implemented well in advance. They include bringing more utilities to Arafat and construction of more water closets in other parts in the holy sites.

The meeting also decided to develop pilgrim guide centers, installing more signboards in Makkah and holy sites and making final studies on the chain bus service between the holy sites.

The prince also urged Haj workers to continue their excellent services to the pilgrims still remaining in the country prior to their departure.