The dignitaries who attended the ceremony included Sudanese President Omar Bashir, Somalia's President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, Gambia's President Yahya Jambi, Gabon's President Ali Bongo, Dagestan's President Muhammad Salam Muhammidov, Senegal's Premier Solomon Indeni; Yemen's Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Karim Al-Arhabi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Abdul Rahman Al-Atiyyah and Iraq's Minister of Interior Jawad Al-Bolani.
The ceremony was also attended by Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who is also chairman of the Haj Central Committee.
Welcoming the dignitaries, Prince Naif, said the Saudi government did not spare any effort to ensure the safety and comfort of pilgrims.
The king also wished pilgrims a safe return, Prince Naif said.
In his speech on behalf of the king, Prince Naif said, the ummah was passing through very difficult times. The ummah, at present, was not enjoying politically, economically and socially what it deserved, the king noted.
"The lesson from history is that a prosperous future could be achieved with creative ideas accompanies by hard work and trust on the Almighty," the king said, according to Prince Naif.
Addressing the gathering, Minister of Haj Fouad Al-Farsy gave an account of the achievements of King Abdullah both at domestic and international arenas.
He cited, among other things, the call of the king for interfaith dialogue, the establishment of an international prize for translation from Arabic language into other languages and vice versa in addition to numerous educational, health and economic projects inside the Kingdom including the large expansions at the Two Holy Mosques and the Mashair Railway, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
