Tribute to King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud (1923 - 2005)
RIYADH, Nov 21 (Bernama) — Saudi Arabia hopes to further develop political and economic ties with China so as to benefit the people of both countries, Xinhua news agency said in its report Monday quoting Saudi King Fahd Ibn Abdul-Aziz as saying here.
Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, patronized the inaugural ceremony of Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Center for Sciences and Technology.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz received U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the accompanying delegation. During the audience, the secretary conveyed greetings of U.S. President George W. Bush to the king who in turn sent his greetings to the president.
London : A woman who claimed to be married to the late King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia cannot proceed with a lawsuit seeking a share of his fortune now that he is dead, a panel of appeals court judges ruled yesterday.
Bangladesh has observed a national mourning as a mark of respect to late Saudi King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz.
A cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Khaleda Zia decided to observe the national mourning.
The national flag was hoisted at half-mast atop all government, semi-government, autonomous offices, institutions, and Bangladesh missions abroad.
The cabinet also passed a condolence resolution at the sad demise of King Fahd.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh President Professor Dr Iajuddin Ahmed left for Riyadh to attend the namaj-e-janaza of late King.
Source: NewKerala.com
THE death of Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd at 84 and the formal accession of his successor, King Abdullah, cast a bright light on an anachronistic regime that is perched atop 25 percent of the world’s known oil reserves. As the country’s name implies, every barrel of oil and all forms of political power belong to one family. That family, now comprising some 5,000 princes descended from the founder, Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud, is able to exercise inordinate influence over the world’s economy, particularly now that soaring global demand for energy is beginning to come up against limits on the expansion of production.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan mourned the death of King Fahd Bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.
In a statement issued by the spokesman, Annan said he learned with sadness of the death of the King, and wanted to extend his deepest condolences to the family of the King, as well as to the government and people of the Kingdom.
“The Secretary-General notes that for almost quarter of a century, the economic, social and political development of Saudi Arabia has been associated with King Fahd’s name,” Dujarric said.
When, in 1981, Margaret Thatcher met Fahd bin Abdul Aziz for the first time, she came away unimpressed. “You say this man runs the country,” she sniffed; “he didn’t have a word to say for himself.” She was wrong.
Fahd was crown prince at the time, and what Thatcher didn’t realize was how very punctilious is the House of Saud in its notions of hierarchy. Deferential conventions helped preserve both the cohesion of a vast royal family and the allegiance to it of a people still denied even the outward trappings of popular sovereignty. So when King Khaled received her, Fahd, also there, could only speak when spoken to.
Nepal is to observe two days of mourning for the late King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, the Nepalese Home Ministry said on Wednesday.
The Nepalese national flags were to fly at half-mast in all government buildings across the country and in Nepalese diplomatic missions abroad Wednesday and Thursday, the announcement said.
Nepal’s Crown Prince Paras left the Nepalese capital for Riyadh Wednesday morning to convey condolences on behalf of King Gyanendra and the Nepalese people on the demise of King Fahd.
In a message to King Abdullah Tuesday, Nepal’s King Gyanendra said, “In the demise of King Fahd Nepal has lost a good friend and well wisher”.
Saudi clerics, tribal chiefs and officials pledged allegiance to King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz on Wednesday in a ceremony seen as a public endorsement of the new monarch of the oil powerhouse.
One day after world leaders joined ordinary Saudi citizens in bidding farewell to King Fahd, who died on Monday aged 84, prominent figures converged on a royal palace in Riyadh to swear allegiance to King Abdullah and new Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz.
More foreign leaders flew in to offer condolences after the death of Fahd and congratulate the new monarch, his half-brother and de facto ruler since the late king suffered a stroke a decade ago.
