It's business as usual as Saudis mourn king

Saudis mourned the death of King Fahd quietly yesterday in line with the kingdom's Wahhabi tradition that unquestioningly accepts the will of God.

"This is a very sad day. But I think the people were ready for this to happen as he was very ill for a long time," said Mohammad Al Aqeel, 31, an engineer.

Fahd was taken to hospital on May 27 with pneumonia.

A Saudi official said that in line with Wahhabi tradition, there will be no official mourning period in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi flags, emblazoned with "There is no God but Allah", will not fly at half-mast as this would be deemed blasphemous.

Several countries around the world have declared a period of mourning for Fahd and lowered their flags as a mark of respect.

There were no signs of heightened security in major cities after Fahd's death, even though Saudi Arabia has been battling a two-year campaign of violence by militants loyal to Al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

"People knew this was coming and were prepared for it. Look around you, thankfully everything is quiet and normal," said Mohammad Abdullah, a 54-year-old accountant, gesturing at the bustle around him in the streets of the capital Riyadh.

Some Saudis said the smooth succession to Crown Prince Abdullah also explained the prevailing calm. Abdullah, who had effectively run the country for a decade, was promptly declared king. Prince Sultan, the defence minister, became crown prince.

"Crown Prince Abdullah had been leading the ship for years. The only news today is that the king has died," said Abdullah Al Twaim from the Red Sea city of Jeddah.

The kingdom is also home to millions of expatriate workers and many shared in the quiet mourning.

"He was a great man and his death is a big loss for the Muslim nation," said a 41-year-old Palestinian who has lived in the kingdom for 13 years and who gave his name only as Fakhry. "He had been sick for a long time. We expected his death could come any day."

MEETING
Emergency Arab summit in Egypt delayed

An emergency Arab summit scheduled to take place in the Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm Al Shaikh in two days was postponed following the death of Saudi Arabia's King Fahd, said the Arab League secretary-general's office.

"It [the summit] will be put off for a few days and then there will be consultations to agree on a new date," said Hesham Yousuf, head of secretary-general Amr Mousa's office.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak last week called for an emergency Arab Summit to be held tomorrow in the wake of the terror attacks that struck Sharm Al Shaikh. He also said the summit would deal with the Palestinian-Israeli crisis and Iraq.

- AP