Saudi officials: The king is alive, but tired

Saudi official sources said that king Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz underwent a medical check after he had felt he is tired, a matter that did not necessitate admitting him to hospital.

The sources denied rumors on Wednesday saying that he is dead. This was following the reduction in prices in the Saudi banknotes markets which was attributed to the death of the king.

Meantime, a western diplomatic source said he heard deliberate denial from Saudi officials to the rumors which talked about the death of the king.

Gulf news media said that the king made a telephone call on Wednesday with the King of Bahrain and the two kings discussed issues relating to the Gulf summit which will be held on Saturday in Riyadh.

Such rumors were spread after the prices of stocks receded in the Saudi banknotes markets at a rate of 4.49%. Some traders attributed this decrease to a natural correction in the market which has been witnessing an increase along two years, while others attributed it to fears over the health conditions of the king.

King Fahd suffers bad health conditions after he had a stroke in 1995. In recent years, frequent rumors have been spread over his health conditions in the kingdom and in the world oil markets.