Saudi Arabia bids farewell to King Fahd

Riyadh - Saudis and foreign dignitaries were to pay their respects to King Fahd in a funeral which is the final act in a 23-year reign that saw him steer the kingdom through the most turbulent decades in its history.

Fahd's half-brother Crown Prince Abdullah, de facto ruler for a decade, was swiftly anointed his successor and powerful Defence Minister Sultan bin Abdul Aziz was chosen as crown prince of the ultra-conservative Gulf kingdom.

Emphasising the close ties Fahd forged with the Western world, French President Jacques Chirac, and British heir to the throne Prince Charles were due in Riyadh on Tuesday to pay their last respects. Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito was also to attend.

Several Arab leaders, including Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, UAE President Sheikh Kahlifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Jordanian King Abdullah II and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, were to attend the funeral in Riyadh of the man they have hailed as a great Arab leader.

Saudi government forces would be applying tight security measures during the funeral of King Fahd at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque in the center of the capital, an interior ministry spokesman said.

"Security forces will enforce tight measures along the routes which the convoys of dignitaries will take and at the location of the funeral ceremony", General Mansur al-Turki told AFP.

The late monarch, who carried the title of "custodian of the two holy mosques" in Mecca and Medina, Islam's holiest sites, will be laid to rest in an austere ceremony in line with traditions stemming from the strict Wahhabite doctrine of Islamic law which is predominant in Saudi Arabia.

After prayers at the Imam Turki mosque attended by the ruling family and Muslim leaders at around 3:30 pm (1230 GMT), the late king's body will be carried in an ambulance without military escort, to the Al-Od public cemetery.

Regional governors were also instructed by the new King Abdullah to open centres to allow people to pay condolences without having to travel to the capital for the funeral.

King Fahd, believed to be aged 84 and married five times, died in hospital at dawn on Monday, after 23 years on the throne in which he led the country through oil crises, wars and the deadly menace of Islamic extremism.

UN chief Kofi Annan paid tribute to a veteran statesman who had attended the world body's inaugural meeting in 1945, while US President George W. Bush telephoned King Abdullah and offered his congratulations.

"We wish Saudi Arabia peace and prosperity under his leadership. I have spoken today to the new king, and the United States looks forward to continuing the close partnership between our two countries," said the president.

Across the Arab world governments voiced their sadness and announced periods of mourning. An Arab summit due to be held in Egypt was postponed.

"History will remember the great and numerous achievements he accomplished for the sake of the holy sites, his people and his nation," Mubarak said.

Fahd, who became king in 1982 but was forced by ill health to hand over most powers to Abdullah in 1995, had been admitted to King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh in late May for "medical tests".

He was said to have suffered respiratory problems caused by pneumonia.

Announcing the succession, an official statement said: "Members of the family have pledged allegiance to Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz as king over the country.

"Then, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz... chose Defence Minister Sultan bin Abdul Aziz as crown prince... and members of the family pledged allegiance to his highness."

However, both are elderly -- Abdullah was born in 1923 and Sultan in 1928 -- so Saudi Arabia faces the prospect of having to appoint a new king every few years.

Believed to have been born in 1921, Fahd took charge in 1982 of the vast kingdom which holds a quarter of proven global oil reserves.

He guided Saudi Arabia through the most turbulent era in its history, which saw the kingdom survive two Gulf wars only to have to confront the menace of Islamic extremism.

Two years of strife perpetrated by Islamic extremists have claimed the lives of 90 civilians, 42 security personnel and 113 militants, according to official figures. -- Associated Press

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