[Deathwatch] King Fahd, Saudi Arabia's ruler, 82-84

[Deathwatch Central <cdw@slick.org>]

Saudi King Fahd dead 

Monday, August 1, 2005; Posted: 4:15 a.m. EDT (08:15 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/08/01/fahd.obit/index.html

(CNN) -- Saudi Arabia's King Fahd -- whose reign was marked by
unprecedented prosperity, but whose close ties with the United States
stirred the passions of Islamic militants -- has died, Saudi Arabia's
information minister announced Monday.

His exact age remains uncertain -- believed to be between 82 and 84.

A source told CNN's Nic Robertson that Fahd died Sunday evening. His
burial is scheduled for Tuesday at 3 p.m. (8 a.m. EDT) in Riyadh.

The former Crown Prince Abdullah, Fahd's half brother, has been named
the new Saudi king and Defense Minister Prince Sultan has replaced
Abdullah as crown prince.

"King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz has chosen Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz
as Crown prince in accordance with Article 5 of the basic system of
government," a statement from the Saudi royal court said.

"Allegiance will be paid by the public to King Abdullah and Prince
Sultan after the noon prayers on Wednesday."

The Saudi monarch had been in and out of the hospital in recent months,
most recently suffering from pneumonia-like symptoms. Fahd yielded
day-to-day control of the kingdom a decade ago after suffering a
stroke, with Abdullah serving as the de facto ruler since then.

Fahd assumed the throne on June 13, 1982, becoming the fifth king of
Saudi Arabia. He was the son of King Abdul Aziz Bin Abdul Rahman
Al-Saud, the founder of the modern Saudi Arabia.

"I will be father to the young, brother to the elderly," he once said.
"I am but one of you; whatever troubles you, troubles me; whatever
pleases you, pleases me."

The Saudi monarch was held in high esteem across the Arab and Muslim
worlds because of his role as the custodian of the two holy mosques --
the major shrines of Islam in Mecca and Medina.

As king, he supervised projects to facilitate the hajj for the more
than 2 million pilgrims from around the world who visit each year.
Under his rule, Mecca was expanded to 3.5 million square feet to
accommodate 1 million worshippers; Medina has grown to nearly 1.8
million square feet to accommodate 500,000 people, according to his
official biography.

He was also an ardent supporter of the mujahedeen in the 1980s in their
fight against the former Soviet Union in Afghanistan -- where
Saudi-born terror leader Osama bin Laden first gained a following.

But it was Fahd's decision to allow U.S. forces to be based out of
Saudi Arabia during the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq that outraged
Islamic fundamentalists, including bin Laden who criticized his
homeland for allowing "infidels" to attack another Arab country from
its soil.

The United States also used a highly secret base in the kingdom to
conduct special operations from during the early days of the Iraq
invasion in 2003.

Al Qaeda terrorists have launched several attacks inside the kingdom in
recent years. And 15 of the 19 hijackers in the September 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks on the United States were from Saudi Arabia -- a fact
that did not sit well with many in Washington who have been skeptical
of the kingdom.

But the Bush administration has remained staunchly behind the kingdom
since 9/11, calling Riyadh a key ally in the war on terror.

"The Saudis have been very aggressive in hunting down the terrorist
cells that are in Saudi Arabia and we've had a good deal of success
also on the terrorist financing front," U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice said during a foreign policy speech in May 2005.

Born in 1923, Fahd attended one of the kingdom's first educational
institutions during his youth, and in 1953 he became Saudi's first
minister of education.

For the next two decades, he served increasingly important roles,
including interior minister, deputy prime minister and crown prince. In
1977, he met with U.S. President Jimmy Carter and U.S. Secretary of
State Cyrus Vance about the importance of American involvement in
trying to forge a lasting settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

"I believe the U.S. can play an important part in solving the problem
if we take into account not only American influence worldwide, but also
the strong relationship between America and Israel," he said at the
time.

He continued to try to work for Mideast peace over the years, including
on his first visit to the United States as king in 1985 when met with
President Ronald Reagan about the need for a renewed American role in
the Mideast peace process.

During Fahd's tenure, the kingdom saw an economic, agricultural and
educational transformation, building on its oil wealth to become an
international and regional power.

"With the blessing and grace of Almighty God and with the assistance of
the faithful Saudi people, we shall continue the welfare march of
construction and development and maintain the gains which are reflected
by comprehensive achievements in various fields," he recently said.


Many thanks to TheLenGuy for posting this obituary