|
Saudis Deny Rumors Of King Fahd's Death
RIYADH, April 9 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - King Fahd is alive and well and has held a series of meetings, a top Saudi official said on Monday after rumors of his death sent oil prices rocketing on world markets.
"The rumors about King Fahd are false, we are very surprised at this," the official said. "He is alive and well."
Fahd, in his late 70s, on Sunday met several new ambassadors to the kingdom, including from Britain, Canada, Iran, Mexico, Pakistan and Venezuela, as well as Saudi sports officials and a football team, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
State-run television showed the ailing monarch in a wheelchair meeting the sportsmen.
The rumors emerged from Kuwait where an official spoke off the record to reporters affirming that the Saudi king, who suffered a stroke on November 29, 1995, had died.
A member of the royal family speculated that the rumor might have originated from an Internet.
A Gulf Arab official commented: ''This rumor surfaces every now and then because of the king's poor health, but I can tell you it's wrong.''
In London, as the rumors spread, oil futures leapt $0.25 cents to $25.42 a barrel.
Born in 1921, Fahd has since 1982 reigned over a country that is the world's largest petroleum exporter and holds a quarter of global oil reserves.
Due to his poor health, the king has gradually delegated the day-to-day business of government to his half-brother, Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz.
After the stroke, Fahd returned to his post to chair weekly cabinet meetings in February 1996. He was admitted to hospital twice in 1998 with gall bladder problems.
Walking with the help of a cane because of circulatory problems and diabetes, he took to wearing sunglasses to protect his eyes and to a wheelchair for mobility.
The king - a tall, affable and portly figure - was rated by the U.S. business magazine Forbes as one of the world's richest men.
|
