Fahd bin Abdul Aziz
Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz
Naef Bin Abdul Aziz
Salman Bin Abdul Aziz
Ahmad Bin Abdul Aziz
Saudi says still wants bombing suspect extradited, Reuters, March 30, 1998
DUBAI, March 30 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is still awaiting a U.S. reply to its
request to extradite a suspect linked to a 1996 bombing which killed 19 American
servicemen, the Saudi interior minister said on Monday.
Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz told a news conference in Mecca that Saudi authorities were
still investigating the bombing of the U.S. military housing complex at the eastern town
of Khobar and planned to announce the results when the probe was completed.
"The Saudi request regarding the handing over of Hani al-Sayegh, who is suspected of
planning the bombing, is still valid and we are awaiting the U.S. government
response," the minister said.
The U.S. Justice Department said in January that Sayegh, a Saudi dissident suspected of
being linked to the truck bomb attack, had been ordered deported but a decision had yet to
be made about which country he would be sent to.
Prince Nayef said "all the details" of the bombing were in Saudi hands.
"The general security (service) has exerted great efforts to learn all the details
and they will be announced when everything is finished," he said.
Saudi officials had previously said the kingdom was making progress in its investigation into the attack.
Saudis End Khobar Towers Bomb Probe, AP Online, March 30, 1998
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) Saudi Arabia has finished its investigation into the
June 1996 bombing that killed 19 American airmen but will not announce its findings until
the time is right, the kingdom's interior minister said Monday.
U.S. officials have repeatedly complained that the Saudis have refused to share
information and are dragging their feet in the investigation.
"All the facts of this crime are with us and our intelligence exerted huge efforts to
discover everything about the incident and we will leave the announcement for its
time," Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz told reporters in Mecca.
There was no indication when that time might be.
The June 1996 bombing at the Khobar Towers military housing project near Dhahran in
eastern Saudi Arabia also injured scores of American soldiers. Saudi officials have
several dozen suspects in custody.
FBI Director Louis J. Freeh has traveled to Saudi Arabia several times to try to win
permission for his agents to interview the Saudi suspects. The Saudis have rebuffed his
efforts, but have supplied tapes and transcripts of their interrogations.
Nayef renewed his country's request to the United States to extradite a Saudi suspected in
the bombing.
Saudi King Taken to Hospital, AP-Tarek al-Issawi, March 9, 1998
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Saudi Arabia's King Fahd was in critical
condition with a gall bladder infection Monday and might have to undergo surgery, hospital
officials said.
An American medical team was monitoring the condition of Fahd, who is in his mid-70s, and
was expected to decide shortly whether to remove the gall bladder, said the officials,
speaking on customary condition of anonymity. The surgery was considered risky because of
Fahd's age and frail health.
Meanwhile, the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in the Saudi capital of Riyadh stopped all
visits and calls and barred relatives and family members from seeing the monarch.
Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil-producing nation and a U.S. ally.
A royal court statement issued Monday said the king was to undergo hospital tests after
suffering from a gall bladder infection, but gave no information on his condition. Saudi
state television and radio reported the statement at the top of their news broadcasts.
A statement issued about 10 days ago said King Fahd was on vacation outside Riyadh. It was
not clear when he returned to the capital.
King Fahd's half-brother, Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, said Fahd was "well" in
response to inquiries from Kuwait's emir, Sheik Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and Syrian
President Hafez Assad, the Saudi Press Agency said.
Fahd was born in 1924 but the exact date is not known. He has been staunchly pro-American
in his policies since he ascended the throne in 1982 after his brother Khaled's death.
His health has been the source of much speculation since he suffered a stroke in November
1995, prompting him to hand over the affairs of state to Abdullah for several weeks. Since
the stroke, Fahd has used a wheelchair and is able to take a few steps or stand up to meet
visitors only with the help of a cane.
The stroke also left him with short-term memory loss and the inability to concentrate for
any stretch of time. In addition, Fahd has suffered for years
from diabetes and arthritis.
Saudi-Venezuelan battle has OPEC over a barrel, AFP, March 11, 1998
PARIS, March 11 (AFP) - The battle within OPEC between Saudi Arabia and
Venezuela has plunged the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries into one of its
worst-ever crises and could bring its break-up as crude oil prices trend on downward on
world markets.
The oil exporters' organization's inability to come up with solutions to deal with the
overproduction that has been pushing oil markets ever lower was particularly striking this
week.
The 11 member countries, accounting for almost 40 percent of world oil output, found
themselves unable to agree on the principle of cutting production quotas, and they did not
respond to a suggestion by OPEC secretary-general Rilwanu Lukman to hold a Monday meeting
in Vienna.
Leo Drollas at the Center for Global Energy Studies in London, established by former Saudi
oil minister Sheikh Yamani, commented that "OPEC isn't behaving the way it was
expected to. It's the most serious crisis since 1986, with a collision of two countries
and of two incompatible policies - all-powerful Saudi Arabia and Venezuela".
The experts say the heart of the problem is the fact that OPEC should cut output by 3
million barrels a day in the second quarter of the year to rebalance supply and demand on
the markets - though such a decision would only halt the price decline, not reverse it.
But the organizationi is now turning out almost 29 million barrels a day, its highest
level in two decades. And production should be even more in the second quarter, since Iraq
will start exporting at full capacity.
Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil producer and the power that counts within OPEC,
wants to keep its market share. It has said clearly that it does not intend to cut output
unilaterally while other OPEC members continue to exceed their quotas.
That is a clear allusion to Venezuela, which churns out some 900,000 barrels a day
over-quota and has decided to ignore a system is considers utterly out of date - and
relations are tense between the two countries.
Pierre Terzian, director of the weekly Petrostrategie, comments that "The big risk is
that Venezuela might leave OPEC. Actually, it has already left, de facto, since it has
been acting for years like an independent producer, refusing to respect its quotas.
"By leaving, it wouldn't lose anything, but such an exit would have a dramatic effect
on the credibility of OPEC, which would then be strictly an Afro-Asian organization".
Venezuela, a founding member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in 1960,
is in a strong position, says Terzian. It suffers less than Saudi Arabia and the other
Gulf producers from falling oil prices, as its strong presence in refining abroad enables
it to offset weak crude prices by improving its margins.
Moreover, its open attitude toward foreign companies, which take part in costly production
investments, and its closeness to the US market for marketing its crude are favorable
elements. Saudi Arabia, Iran and Kuwait in particular- and even Algeria - are highly
dependent on oil income to finance investments.
Former Algerian energy minister Nordine Ait-Laoussine says that "The solution to the
present crisis has to come from Saudi Arabia. That entails greater flexibility in its
quota. Otherwise, it's a stalemate and it will take more than a meeting to resolve the
problem".
But he does not believe OPEC will break up or that Venezuela will exit, unless it is
forced to.
And Terzian comments that "OPEC still has a place in Saudi strategy, and I don't
think the Saudis will provoke a breakup and a Venezuelan exit if they can avoid it".
Saudi King Fahd Is Out of Hospital, AP, March 11, 1998
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) Saudi Arabia's King Fahd was discharged from a
hospital late Wednesday night in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, state-run television
reported.
Brushing aside reports of the monarch's ill health, the television showed Fahd waving to a
crowd of well-wishing princes as he was pushed in a wheelchair to a limousine about 11
p.m.
Fahd, who is in his mid-70s, was admitted to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital on
Monday. Before his release, the official Saudi Press Agency had denied reports that Fahd
had undergone surgery for a gall bladder infection.
Draped in a gold-trimmed brown cape and wearing his traditional headdress, Fahd was
accompanied to his Yamamah palace in Riyadh by his half-brother, Crown Prince Abdullah,
and a brother, Prince Sultan, the defense minister.
The Saudi news agency quoted an unidentified official as saying that Fahd's condition was
"reassuring" and did not require surgery.
The SPA report was the first official comment on Fahd's condition after the king was
admitted to the hospital. Saudi officials rarely comment on the health of the country's
leaders.
Hospital officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Tuesday that the king had
emergency gall bladder surgery. They said an American medical team did not remove the
king's gall bladder during an endoscopic surgical procedure, but they gave no other
details.
In Washington, State Department spokesman James Foley said Tuesday that Fahd had undergone
surgery and wished him well a comment that drew criticism Wednesday from a Saudi official.
"The issue of King Fahd's health is purely a Saudi matter and it is strange to hear
U.S. comments about it," said the official, speaking on customary condition of
anonymity.
Fahd's hospitalization this week was the first time since he suffered a stroke in 1995
that Saudi Arabia publicly announced that he had been admitted to a hospital. The monarch,
a staunch U.S. ally, also suffers from diabetes and arthritis.
Crown Prince Abdullah briefly took over the running of the world's largest oil-producing
nation for seven weeks after Fahd's stroke and has played a major role in day-to-day
government since then.
Fahd was born in 1924 but the exact date is not known.
Appeal from a mother of a kidnapped child, Margaret McClain, March 1, 1998
Dear Sirs and Mesdames!
I applaud your attempts to make Saudi Arabia join other civilized nations by coming into the twentieth century. What I would like to know is: How do you feel about the repatriation of small children unlawfully stolen from their custodial mothers in the US (or any other country) by Saudi non-custodial fathers, with the knowledge, encouragement, and complicity of the official kidnapping arm of the Saudi Government, i.e., Saudi Arabian Airlines?
My daughter, age 5, was kidnapped on August 13, 1998, by her fanatical Wahhabi father--contrary to both US and Saudi laws. Islam specifically forbids the kidnapping of the innocent. It also states that a girl child remain with her mother until puberty. Furthermore, Islam seriously condemns anyone who drives a rift between a child and its mother. My daughter MACHAEL HEIDI AL-OMARY, has also been illegally separated from her sister, brother, stepdad, stepbrothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and her baby niece. By the way, the kidnapper left here owing over 12,000 dollars in child support. I believe Islam makes it a requirement for a father to support his children (which this one never did while here in the USA). Shame on him and his entire nation for allowing this travesty to be perpetrated on the smallest victims of Saudi abuses of human rights.
You can read my daughter's story on countless web pages fro missing children by typing "Heidi Al-Omary" in any search engine, such as Metacrawler or Web Ferret, Euroseek, etc. Our own web page for our child is called "Heidi's Hope" at http://www.insolwwb.net/~dmcclain/ Your Minnesota Lawyers' web page did not mention anything about the Hague Convention or the declaration on the Rights of the Child, both UN documents. In my child's case, I had written to the Saudi Embassy, Prince Bandar, and various Saudi Airlines officials before the kidnapping. I have return receipts for Registered and Certified mail to prove that these entities received my letters. I sent all document relating to my child (custody decree, etc.), and made clear to these people that issuing my child any foreign documents on US soil or allowing my child to leave the US would be a serious crime. Prince Bandar knew the situation, as did the highest levels of Saudi Airlines. With the help of my then brother-in-law, Samir Al-Jawdat, a cabin steward for Saudia; my ex-husband's cousin Faridah Al-Ghofaily and her husband Solomon Al-Hedaithy (high position in Saudi Dept of Interior/National Guard); and his American wife Jayne Brussel Smith (who is still here), the kidnapper was able to get away with my baby girl.
What I would like to know about legal recourse is this: Many law firms have turned me down on this request, and that is to bring a suit against Saudia Airlines in the amount of a billion or so dollars to teach them a lesson about the kidnapping of American children. This would further embarrass the Saudi government to the extent that they might be inclined to negotiate the release of my child who is a virtual hostage. Furthermore, it would cause untold problems for my ex-husband's family, as they would be blamed for and held responsible for a negative judgement against the Saudi government. Are there any lawyers in Minnesota or anywhere in the country who would have the fortitude to take such a case against Saudi Airlines on a contingency fee basis? If so, please let me know immediately, as I am at the end of my rope. Some victims have been left with the impression that I cannot sue a foreign government; however, a legal firm from Chicago told me that this does not apply if the government entity being sued is actually run for profit like a corporation. Obviously, this is true of Saudia Airlines. Furthermore, the proof of this can be found on Saudi Airlines very own web site, where the phrases Saudia's new "corporate identity" and other such phrases jump off the page at the reader.
There are several other American victims who might join this lawsuit; Lonnie Smrkovski who has been mentioned on the SaudHouse web pages; Maureen Dabbagh; Pat Rousch; Kristine Uhlmann; Dawn DiBenedetto; and Jennifer Martin of my own state might be interested in fighting the Saudis. I know that Jennifer, mother of 6-year-old kidnap victim, Hatam Al-Shabrami, is interested. Please don't say no. Please help us get our kids back. There are so many law firms in the US who seem to have some connections with the Saudis or companies that do business in Saudi Arabia that you are about my last hope at obtaining representation. I want to make so much noise over this situation--there are over 2000 US children and 10000 other foreign children being held hostage in the Kingdom and by the Kingdom. To my mind, it is an Ambassador's job to help his countrymen when they are on foreign soil, but not to help them commit criminal acts. It is the Ambassador's job to maintain good relations with foreign countries by requiring his subjects to abide by the laws of that foreign country. Well, Bandar has fallen down on the job--so he should be called neither an Ambassador nor a Prince. Such titles of respect are unworthy of the man, don't you think?
Yet the likes of Bill Clinton, Norman Schwarzkopf, G. Gordon Liddy, and others
have had the pants charmed off of them by this guy, or by his lavish parties, or by his
money. Of course, Clinton's campaign has been financed by foreign interests, including the
Saudis. Schwarzkopf's reputation and career were "made" by his connections to
the higher ups in the Saudi government. When we victims of Saudi hostage-taking approach
Bandar, we are always rebuffed. Our letters, e-mails, and faxes always go unanswered. He
isn't much of a man if he fears the words of grieving mothers and grandmothers.
Yours truly,
Margaret McClain
phone: (870)9728031 home
(870)9722080 work
e-mail: [email protected] home
e-mail: [email protected].
U.S. military begins anthrax shots for Gulf troops--Charles Aldinger-March 10, 1998
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military Tuesday began inoculating nearly 40,000
troops in the Gulf against deadly anthrax, beginning with those in Saudi Arabia and
Bahrain, the defense department said.
Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon said the series of six shots over 18 months had begun on
orders from Defense Secretary William Cohen and that he expected shots for Navy forces on
warships and Army troops in Kuwait would begin March 15.
The United States accuses Iraq of having developed anthrax cattle disease into a
biological weapon that could be mounted on artillery shells or sprayed from aircraft. The
spores are considered more than 95 percent likely to cause death if inhaled by unprotected
humans.
"We anticipate that the first round of shots will be completed by the end of the
month," Bacon told reporters.
The Pentagon said the U.S. aircraft carrier John Stennis would enter the Gulf in the next
day or so to replace the carrier George Washington, which will head back to the United
States. The carrier Independence is also in the Gulf.
Bacon said the arrival of the Stennis, the Navy's newest aircraft carrier, and its support
ships would push U.S. forces in the region to more than 40,000 until the George Washington
departed this month.
He told reporters that successful and unhindered inspections by U.N. weapons teams in Iraq
in recent days were "a very positive development," but stressed the work was far
from done.
Bacon said Iraq still had not answered major questions about its chemical and biological
weapons program, failing to provide proof it had destroyed missile warheads believed to
contain both chemical and biological agents.
He told reporters the United States had asked other countries in the region to help crack
down on the smuggling of oil and other goods out of Iraq in defiance of a U.N. embargo. An
estimated $18 million to $20 million in illegal goods were smuggled out each month, most
of it oil, Bacon said.
He said it was difficult for U.S. or other Western warships to stop the traffic because
much of the smuggling took place in Iranian waters.
Bacon said the United States had asked countries such as Turkey and Jordan to bolster
their defenses against smuggling and had asked states in the Gulf to provide ports where
Western warships might take vessels seized for smuggling.
"One of the problems is that after they capture a ship, they have to find a port to
bring it in to so they can seize the goods and get rid of them," he said.
"Secondly, we're working with countries in the area to make sure that they bolster
their anti-smuggling defenses so that it will be more difficult for these ships to find
places to unload and sell their cargo."
Hughes to Build Two Satellites for American Mobile Radio, Business Wire, March 24, 1998
WASHINGTON, D.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 24, 1998--Hughes Space and
Communications International Inc. (HSCI) and American Mobile Radio Corp. (AMRC)
have announced a contract for two HS 702 model satellites that will provide
state-of-the-art program signals directly to car radios nationwide.
Financial terms were not disclosed. In about two years, the high-power satellites will
begin sending approximately 50 channels of high-quality digital radio programming to
fixed,
mobile and portable radios across the contiguous United States. The contract calls for
Hughes to deliver the satellites in geosynchronous orbit in April and August 2000,
respectively.
AMRC has an option for a third satellite. Launch vehicles will be announced later. Alcatel
Espace of Toulouse, France, will provide the high-power, S-band, Digital Audio Radio
Service (DARS) payload.
"Mobile radio service is an exciting new application of satellite technology, and one
for which the HS 702 is ideally suited," said HSCI Chairman Donald L. Cromer.
"These satellites will have 9.5 kilowatts of power to ensure the clearest, strongest
signals to drivers no matter where in the continental U.S. they might be."
Hughes introduced the HS 702 in 1995 in response to customer requests for satellites with
as much as 15 kilowatts of power and flexible payload capacity, that could be delivered in
minimum time and be launched on a variety of vehicles.
AMRC's contract brings to five the number of HS 702s ordered, with the first three going
to PanAmSat Corp. The first HS 702 will be launched in the fourth quarter of this year.
Hughes incorporated a number of technological advances into the HS 702 series. To generate
such high power, the two solar wings employ high-efficiency, dual-junction gallium
arsenide solar cells. Depending on the frequency bands desired, the payload can be
configured with on-board digital signal processing or as many as 90 active transponders.
To provide 15 years' service, the HS 702 carries Hughes' flight-proven xenon ion
propulsion system (XIPS) for all on-orbit maneuvering.
AMRC is one of only two companies licensed in the United States to provide Digital Audio
Radio Service. AMRC is a privately held company owned by American Mobile Satellite and
WorldSpace Inc., both high-technology telecommunications companies with headquarters in
the Washington area.
American Mobile Satellite is the only company currently providing L-band voice and data
mobile satellite services in the United States. WorldSpace is an investor in WorldSpace
International, the leading international satellite digital radio company scheduled to
initiate service to Africa, Latin America and Asia beginning this year.
Alcatel Espace's chairman and CEO, Jean-Claude Husson, said: "Alcatel is proud to
contribute to the development of the U.S. DARS system for AMRC. We are enthusiastic about
our new partnership with HSCI and their confidence in Alcatel payloads. This powerful
payload, designed, manufactured and tested in our plant at Toulouse, France, will benefit
from our experience gained through the ongoing contract with WorldSpace, to implement the
first global digital audio broadcasting satellite system by the year 2000."
Alcatel designs, manufactures and markets complete telecommunications systems. Activities
include fixed switching networks, transmission systems, access systems, mobile
communications infrastructure, business networking and submarine cable networks, as well
as radio communications, space and defense systems.
With operations in more than 130 countries, Alcatel is a leading- edge supplier in the
majority of its business. In 1997, the Telecom segment of Alcatel Alsthom registered total
sales of more than 83 billion French francs. For more information, visit Alcatel via the
web at http://www.alcatel.com.
The satellites will be built in the Los Angeles-area factory of Hughes Space and
Communications Co., the world's leading manufacturer of geostationary commercial
communications satellites. It also supplies spacecraft for communications and space
exploration to the U.S. government, and builds weather satellites for the United States
and Japan.
HSCI is an HSC subsidiary that markets satellites internationally, and holds contracts
with a number of launch vehicle providers for delivery of customers' satellites on-orbit.
HSC is a unit of Hughes Electronics Corp. The earnings of Hughes Electronics are used to
calculate the earnings per share attributable to GMH (NYSE symbol) common stock.
Gore to visit Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Reuters, March 25, 1998
WASHINGTON, March 25 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Al Gore will visit Israel,
Saudi Arabia and Egypt April 30 through May 3, his office announced on Wednesday.
Gore will be in Israel April 30-May 1 to attend official celebrations marking the 50th
anniversary of the founding of the Jewish state.
He will visit Saudi Arabia on May 1-2 for talks with Crown Prince Abdullah and to meet
with U.S. troops stationed there as part of the U.S. contingent in the Gulf region.
On May 2-3 Gore will meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and convene a joint
U.S.-Egyptian commission designed to boost economic development.
Rights group wants Saudi to reform workers' laws, Reuters, March 30, 1998
NEW YORK, March 30 (Reuters) - A U.S. human rights group on Monday called on the United Nations to press Saudi Arabia to protect the rights of immigrant workers who it said faced exploitation in the kingdom.
Human Rights Watch said in a statement it had made a submission to the U.N.
Commission on Human Rights describing ``severe shortcomings'' in Saudi Arabia's labour and
legal
systems. The New York-based body said these shortcomings ...''encourage the exploitation
of foreign workers, leaving them vulnerable to serious abuses including forced labour,
physical and sexual assaults and arrest and conviction on false charges.''
``Workers who do demand their rights have found themselves falsely accused of crimes punishable by flogging, amputation or beheading in a legal system that offers defendants little protection and is biased in favour of Saudi nationals,'' it said.
The rights body said that of more than 630 individuals known to have been executed in Saudi Arabia since 1990 more than half were foreigners.
It called on the United Nations commission to urge Saudi Arabia and countries
sending migrant workers to the oil-rich Gulf Arab state to ratify the convention on the
rights of all
migrant workers. It also said Saudi Arabia and the other countries should be urged to
extend national labour law protections to all workers, ensure consulates had procedures in
place to protect their nationals and adopt a policy to protect workers wishing to bring
charges against abusive employers. Egypt, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines,
Somalia, Sri Lanka and Yemen provide most of the foreign workers to Saudi Arabia, the
statement said. Expatriates make up about one third of Saudi Arabia's 18 million
population.
Saudi Royal Leads Shrine Ceremony, AP Online, March 29, 1998
JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) A leading member of the Saudi ruling family led the
ritual washing Sunday of the Kaaba, the ancient stone structure in Mecca that is sacred to
Muslims
The ceremony is usually carried out by King Fahd, who bears the title "Custodian of
the Two Holy Shrines" in Mecca and Medina. But he has not been well since suffering a
stroke in November 1995.
This year, Fahd's brother, Prince Majed, the governor of Mecca, washed the Kaaba on behalf
of the Saudi monarch, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Kaaba a cube-shaped stone structure attributed to the Prophet Abraham and
revered in Islam is washed twice a year with perfumed water, once before Ramadan, the holy
month of fasting, and again before the hajj, or annual pilgrimage.
The world's 1 billion Muslims turn toward the Kaaba during their five daily prayers.
Also Sunday, the Okaz newspaper quoted an immigration official as saying that more than
830,000 pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for the hajj, which begins April 6.
The hajj is required once in a lifetime of every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it.
About two million Muslims perform the hajj every year, half of them from abroad.
Violating a U.N. air embargo for the fourth year in a row, Libya on Sunday sent a plane
carrying 105 pilgrims, a Saudi official said.
The Security Council imposed sanctions on Libya in 1992 to force it to hand over for trial
two suspects wanted for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in
1988.
Saudi Arabia has been installing fireproof tents and central kitchens to try to prevent a
recurrence of last year's fire, which killed at least 343 pilgrims. The fire, which also
injured 1,500 people, was blamed on pilgrims cooking in their tents.
King Fahd 'well' but dynasty is in doubt, The Daily Telegraph, March 11, 1998
CROWN Prince Abdallah of Saudi Arabia reassured Arab leaders yesterday that King Fahd remained "in good health" after an operation to treat a gall bladder infection.
The Prince's day spent receiving calls from international well-wishers also signalled that the succession is settled, and that he is next in line to pursue the kingdom's pro-western policy.
The king is believed to be about 75. He has diabetes and arthritis, and is said to be prone to memory lapses and to have trouble concentrating. Prince Abdallah, his half-brother, has taken over much of the day-to-day running of the country. But at 74, he can only be a stop-gap ruler.
The long-term future of the House of Saud - with the implications for world oil supplies and prices - remains uncertain. The absolute powers of King Fahd are being questioned by educated Saudi liberals, prompting the monarch in 1993 to set up a hand-picked consultative council with limited powers.
His reliance on American protection, and the decision to allow foreign troops to use Saudi soil as a base to liberate Kuwait in 1990 has spawned Islamic opposition. King Fahd's problems have been aggravated by corruption among the myriad of Saudi princes, the mounting debts of the state, and the fall of oil prices.