Rumors on the death of King Fahd denied by Saudi Arabia

In statements and picture Saudi Arabia has denied through a series of statements and picture, rumors promoting the death of the Saudi King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz and resulted in a world increase in oil prices. However, the Saudi King on Monday did not preside over the meeting of the Cabinet which is held every Monday.

News reports said that the rumors came from Kuwait where an official said before pressmen who asked them not to be identified that the Saudi King whose health conditions deteriorated since 1995, died.

Rumors also stated to have started from the US.

The Saudi TV on Monday showed King Fahd while greeting sport officials and members of the Saudi Red Crescent, while he was sitting on a mobile chair.

Later in the day, the Saudi official news agency said that the King received the ambassadors of Gabon, Bronai, Ethiopia and Ghana at his palace in Jeddah.

A Saudi source said that prince Muhammad Bin Nasser Bin Abdul Aziz the new Emir of Jazan took the constitutional oath before the King, and therefore denying rumors on his death.

However, the King did not on Monday preside over the meeting of the Cabinet which was held under the chairmanship of the crown prince Abdullah and was dedicated, according to the Saudi news agency to discuss the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Saudi sources including members in the ruling family said that "King Fahd still practices his normal activity in running the affairs of the country."

The Saudi official who asked not to be identified said that " the rumors about King Fahd are wrong and we had very often been surprised by it." He added that the King who was born in 1921" is surviving and he is in a good health condition."