JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah left on Monday for Casablanca, Morocco, on a private vacation after appointing Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, as regent to administer the country’s affairs during his absence.
“On the basis of Article 66 of the Basic Law of Governance and considering our decision to travel outside the Kingdom on Monday (Aug. 27) we have appointed Crown Prince Salman as our regent to administer the country’s affairs and take care of the interests of its people during our absence,” King Abdullah said in royal decree before leaving Jeddah.
A large number of princes including Prince Salman, Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal and Interior Minister Prince Ahmed were present at King Abdulaziz International Airport to see off the king and his delegation.
King Abdullah’s delegation included Prince Muqrin, adviser and special envoy; Prince Faisal bin Abdullah, education minister; Prince Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad, adviser; Gen. Hamad bin Muhammad Al-Ouhali, commander of the royal guards; and Dr. Bandar Al-Qanawi, executive director of health affairs at the National Guard and general supervisor of royal clinics.
Meanwhile, Bahraini Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa commended King Abdullah’s efforts for the success of Arab and Islamic causes.
In a statement issued yesterday, he noted the initiative taken by the king to hold an emergency Islamic summit in Makkah on Aug. 14-15 to discuss pressing issues facing the Islamic world, including Syria.
“King Abdullah has been making a number of initiatives to unify Arab and Islamic rank and strengthen the Ummah to confront challenges and dangers,” he said while receiving Saudi Ambassador to Bahrain Dr. Abdul Mohsen Al-Marik.
The Bahraini premier underscored the strong relations between his country and Saudi Arabia and praised Riyadh’s support to Gulf, Arab and Islamic issues.
