August 3rd, 2005
Legacy of a King
A great leader, much loved by his people, King Fahd was the son of the founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz.
Born in 1922, King Fahd’s life was one of positive achievement, both in the national and international arenas.
One of his first official engagements on behalf of Saudi Arabia was as a participant in the San Francisco conference that established the United Nations and of which Saudi Arabia was a founding member.
His first ministerial position was at the Ministry of Education where he oversaw dramatic developments of Saudi Arabia’s education system including the building and establishment of thousands of schools as well as universities. 
He then became Minister of Interior looking after the internal security of Saudi Arabia. King Fahd was made Second Deputy Premier under King Faisal and became Crown Prince in 1975 under King Khaled. He became King in 1982. He was the longest serving King of Saudi Arabia except for Abdulaziz.
One of his first acts as king was the production of the Fahd Peace Plan. In the 1980’s, he devoted his time to resolving Arab differences particularly between Algeria and Morocco. He was also the architect of the Taif Accord in 1989, which ended civil war in Lebanon. In the early 1990’s, he led the Arab world in opposition to the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq.
On the domestic front, King Fahd led the dramatic development of Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure – schools, hospitals, roads, electricity, and water supply systems were built across the Kingdom.
In the 1990’s, King Fahd turned his attention to the development of the government with the reform programme. In 1992, he established the Basic Law and Constitution of the Kingdom based on the Holy Quran.
This included the establishment of the Shura Council and a line of succession for the descendants of Abdulaziz.
The further development of the Kingdom was outlined in King Fahd’s speech to the Shura Council in 2003, in which he set out a 6 point programme of reforms in the political, economic and legal systems including the establishment of a non-governmental human rights organization, a governmental body on human rights, the continuation of political and administrative reforms, the broadening of the scope for popular participation and
calling for an equal role for women in the development of Saudi Arabia.
The King’s First and Final Rulings
By Sultan al Obaithany
Between the first and final decisions made by King Fahd bin Abdulaziz are 24 years at the helm of Saudi Arabia , full of momentous local, regional, and international events. During his reign, the late King made many courageous and honest decisions as he was eager to ensure the safety of Saudi Arabia and that of citizens in the Arab and Muslim worlds, in addition to supporting the wronged and putting an end to injustice.
King Fahd will be remembered as such in the minds of Kingdom’s citizens.
He will live on in the minds of Saudis as a determined monarch who led his country for over two decades as a King, an engineer an intellectual, a scientist, and above all a strong-willed man.
His actions, speeches, and decisions, described by political analysts from around the world as balanced and wise, came to an end on Sunday when he issued his latest directive and signed it with his name forever engraved in the minds of Saudis. He announced the creation of a new position, the private advisor for the Prince of Riyadh, and appointed Abdullah al Bulayhid to the post. Newspapers headlines on Monday morning reported this selection.
One of King Fahd’s earliest decisions, soon after he ascended to the Crown in 1982 following the death of his brother Khaled, was to retain cabinet members in their posts, appoint Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz as Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister and Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz as Second Deputy Prime Minister.
Source: Ashraq Alawsat