GENEVA/TAIF, 30 July — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd underwent a successful surgery in Geneva yesterday for the removal of cataract from his right eye, the Royal Court announced.
The operation was conducted at the University Hospital in Geneva yesterday morning, a day after he was admitted there, the announcement said.
Prince Abdullah, the regent, congratulated the king on the successful eye operation. Addressing a Cabinet meeting in Taif yesterday, he thanked God for the success of the operation. The Cabinet also congratulated the king on the successful surgery and prayed God to bless him with good health and provide him with all support.
A number of princes and high-ranking officials including Prince Abdul Rahman, deputy minister of defense and aviation, Interior Minister Prince Naif and Riyadh Governor Prince Salman were present at the Geneva hospital during the operation.
King Fahd left Jeddah for Switzerland on May 20 after delegating his responsibilities to Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, to run the affairs of the country until he returns from abroad.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet meeting denounced Israel’s bombing raid last week on a housing district in Gaza City, killing 15 Palestinians including nine children and injuring over 170 others, mainly women and the elderly.
"The Cabinet affirms that this is a terrorist act that cannot be justified under any pretext," said a statement issued after the first weekly Cabinet meeting since the attack. The raid is "a blemish on the face of modern history, a deplorable act and a severe blow to efforts under way to put an end the Middle East violence," the statement said.
"The Kingdom strongly condemns this horrible crime and Israel’s daily atrocities against the Palestinian people, which show it does not want current (peace) efforts to succeed," the statement said. The July 22 Israeli airstrike, which drew a chorus of international condemnation, also killed Salah Shehade, the military chief of Hamas, who was its target.
The Cabinet blasted the brutal practices of Israel’s occupation forces, notably "the demolition of houses, the blockade of Palestinians and the assassination of their leaders."
State Minister and Acting Information Minister Dr. Madani Allaki said the Cabinet meeting reviewed the progress of a number of educational, health and tourism projects in Taif. It also exempted firewood and coal from customs tariff.
The Cabinet authorized the higher education minister or his deputy to hold talks with Chinese officials to conclude an agreement for cultural and educational cooperation. It endorsed the memorandum of understanding signed with Australia’s Victoria state in the field of education.
The meeting approved the annual report of Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) for 1998-99 and appointed Dr. Ali ibn Saad Al-Takhais as deputy minister for water affairs, and Fahd ibn Abdullah Al-Zuhair as director of the Haj minister’s office.
