Posted on 08/01/2005 12:12:14 AM PDT by Miztiki
Just reported on Fox News.
Fill up your gas tanks.
I was just going to post that Fahd quote. Thanks for adding it here.
He has been acting as such for almost a decade. Unless Prince Sultan wishes to challenge him, I don't see any real problem. Abdullah has the loyalty of the Saudi National Guard (SANG). Sultan is the Minister of Defense and Aviation. Abdullah has the means to retain power and he is more liked by the various tribes. He is relatively corruption free compared to Sultan.
Pining for the fjords
King Fahd, the old sod, now mouldering...
Existentialism is very comforting when the bad guys have you surrounded.
Michael Frazier
In that respect existentialism has a lot in common with a good pair of running shoes, a reliable hand gun, full medical insurance and a strong belief in the afterlife.
Stuff it!
Leni
He's in for a shock. The Almighty is goibg to tell him "No soup for you!" No soup, no virgins, and no water..
Good riddance!
ROFL!
That chart is precious.
I notice the wives are nameless.
Interesting juxtaposition, that.
The newly appointed monarch, 81-year-old Crown Prince Abdullah, is a popular leader who has been the kingdom's effective ruler for 10 years and is the main force behind an unprecedented reform drive.
"With all sorrow and sadness, the royal court in the name of his highness Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and all members of the family announces the death of the custodian of the two holy mosques, King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz," according to a statement read on state-run Saudi TV by the country's information minister.
Fahd died at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, where he was admitted on May 27 for unspecified tests.
The White House was informed of Fahd's death about 2:30 a.m. President Bush was told when he began his work day in the Oval Office about 7 a.m., presidential spokesman Scott McClellan said. He said Bush called Abdullah and expressed condolences over Fahd's death and congratulations on his accession.
Saudi television, which said the king was 84, broke with regular broadcasting to announce Fahd's death. Quranic verse recitals followed the announcement by the minister, Iyad bin Amin Madani, whose voice wavered with emotion as he read the statement.
Arab nations announced mourning periods, an Arab summit was abruptly postponed and Mideast leaders prepared Monday to attend the funeral of Fahd, whose close control over the world's largest oil supplies made him one of the region's most influential figures.
Crude oil prices soared past $61 a barrel Monday as markets reacted to Fahd's death.
The Saudi ambassador to Britain, Prince Turki bin al-Faisal, said the death of Fahd won't change Saudi Arabia's oil policy.
"The crown prince, who has become king, worked closely with the late king in implementing the policies of Saudi Arabia both externally and internally," al-Faisal told a news conference in London. "So I cannot imagine that there will be any particular change in that policy but rather a continuation."
Abdullah is a popular leader who has been the kingdom's effective ruler for 10 years and is the main force behind an unprecedented reform drive.
Sticking to tradition, Abdullah immediately appointed his half brother, Defense Minister Prince Sultan, 77, as his crown prince and successor.
But Fahd's death launched a jockeying for position in the line of succession among the next generation, made up of dozens of Western-educated, technology-savvy princes who can take the kingdom into the 21st century.
The choice of Sultan is a sign that deep-rooted reform - which diplomats and analysts say is the only way the ruling Al Saud dynasty can ensure its survival - has been placed on the back burner as Abdullah pursues change at his own pace.
Sultan - like Abdullah, Fahd and all the 42 sons of Saudi Arabia's founder, Abdul-Aziz - had only a rudimentary education in the era before oil wealth flooded the kingdom. Sultan is likely to appease the religious establishment, which gives the monarchy its legitimacy, rather than continue to reform its institutions.
The newer generation grew up in riches, with greater technology and contact with the West - typified by Sultan's son, Prince Bandar, who was Saudi Arabia's urbane ambassador to the United States until he stepped down to return home two weeks ago.
Saudi Arabia faces the challenges of liberalizing its ailing economy and satisfying many Saudis' desire for greater freedom and more say in politics. It must tame the radical religious elements so the royal family's role as guardian of Islam's holy places will not be challenged.
And, it must battle violent extremists who many people believe have been encouraged by the preachings of the religious establishment and its strict Wahhabi Muslim philosophy.
Unlike Fahd, Abdullah did not see the fate of his kingdom intertwined with the decades-old alliance with the United States. But once he became the kingdom's de facto leader after Fahd's 1995 stroke, he was pragmatic enough to preserve close ties with the United States.
He understood he had to initiate changes in his country after the Sept. 11 attacks, carried out by 19 Arab hijackers, 15 of them Saudi. U.S. and Western pressure on Saudi Arabia to reform was immense.
Funeral prayers for Fahd will be held Tuesday at Riyadh's Turk bin Abdullah mosque for the late king, who had suffered a debilitating stroke in 1995 that confined him mainly to a figurehead role in the kingdom.
"Saudi Arabia has lost one of its dutiful sons, a leader among the most dear of its leaders and men," said Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who planned to attend Fahd's funeral.
An emergency Arab summit that Mubarak had called in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik in the wake of the Aug. 23 terror attacks there was postponed until later this month.
The Saudi Stock market closed down 10 minutes after the announcement of Fahd's death. The Arab League postponed a summit scheduled for Wednesday in Egypt's resort of Sharm el-Sheik.
At the time of Fahd's widely publicized hospitalization that caused concern home and abroad, officials said he was suffering from pneumonia and a high fever.
In recent weeks, Saudi officials have been saying Fahd's health had been improving and was even preparing to leave the hospital.
He had suffered a debilitating stroke in 1995 that confined him mainly to a figurehead role.
During more than two decades as monarch, Fahd brought the kingdom, holder of the world's largest oil reserves and home to Islam's holiest shrines of Mecca and Medina, closer to the United States.
AP-ES-08-01-05 0956EDT
Yup. The last one I heard about was costing $6 million a day.
Again?
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