August 3rd, 2005
Saudis pledge allegiance to new king
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.
French President Jacques Chirac, British heir to the throne Prince Charles, Swedish King Carl Gustaf XVI, Swiss President Samuel Schmid and Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka were among world figures who came to pay their respects after Fahd was buried in a simple ceremony.
Fahd had ruled the kingdom for 23 years, during a turbulent period marked by oil crises, wars and the new threat of deadly Islamic extremism.
Prince Charles was due to visit the new king on Wednesday after calling on the crown prince upon his arrival in Riyadh on Tuesday.
The White House announced that Vice President Dick Cheney would lead a US delegation to Saudi Arabia after US President George W. Bush telephoned Abdullah to offer his condolences and congratulate him on his accession.
Fahd was buried in an unmarked grave at the Al-Od public cemetery in Riyadh after brief prayers at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque during which dozens of Arab and Muslim leaders joined members of the Al-Saud ruling family.
Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti, Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh, has called on citizens to rally behind King Abdullah and his crown prince, marking the endorsement of the official religious establishment.
Saudis will also show their allegiance to the new 82-year-old king, who has inherited the title of “custodian of the two holy mosques,” by visiting ruling family members who serve as governors in provinces across the vast desert Gulf state.
Wednesday’s press splashed pictures of Fahd’s funeral under emotional headlines.
The only voice of dissent came from the London-based Saudi opposition Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia (MIRA) which said it rejected the new king and called for the release of all political prisoners in the kingdom.
MIRA, an opposition group inspired by the same Wahhabist strict doctrine of Islam that reigns in the kingdom, has criticised the Saudi regime for “corruption and anti-democratic methods.”
Source: KhaleejTimes