RIYADH, Aug 1: Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd died on Monday after a long period of ill health that saw him hand over the reins of power in the last years of his turbulent rule. His half-brother Crown Prince Abdullah, de facto ruler for a decade, was swiftly anointed his successor and Defence Minister Sultan bin Abdul Aziz was chosen as crown prince of the kingdom.

Medical sources said King Fahd, believed to be aged 84, died in hospital at dawn, 23 years after he took the throne to lead the country through oil crises, wars and the deadly menace of extremism.

State television interrupted programmes to air verses from the holy Quran. Funeral prayers are to be held on Tuesday.

“Members of the family have pledged allegiance to Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz as king over the country,” an official statement said announcing Fahd’s death.

“Then, King Abudullah bin Abdul Aziz... chose Defence Minister Sultan bin Abdul Aziz as crown prince... and members of the family pledged allegiance to his Excellency.”

In an apparent move to ease oil market concerns, a senior Saudi oil official said Riyadh would keep output at levels required to ensure stability.

“Saudi Arabia will not change its oil policy and will work on providing the oil supplies needed by world markets and is keen on avoiding troubles,” said the official.

The king had been admitted to King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh in late May for “medical tests” and was said to be suffering from respiratory problems caused by pneumonia.

Believed to have been born in 1921, Fahd took charge in 1982 of a vast kingdom which is the world’s largest petroleum exporter and holds a quarter of global oil reserves. He guided Saudi Arabia through the most turbulent era in the country’s history, which saw the kingdom survive two Gulf wars only to have to confront the threat from extremists.

Two years of strife perpetrated by the extremists have claimed the lives of 90 civilians, 42 security personnel and 113 militants, according to official figures.

Saudi’s alliance with the United States, the cornerstone of Fahd’s foreign policy was sorely tested by the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States, in which 15 out of the 19 attackers were Saudi. Designated as next in line after King Faisal’s assassination in 1975, Fahd was in practical terms running the country under the rule of his ailing brother King Khaled from 1975 to 1982.

After the stroke in 1995 confined him to a wheelchair, the king delegated most day-to-day business of government to his half-brother, Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, who himself is in his 80s.

It was Fahd himself who upheld the Saudi tradition of the crown prince succeeding the monarch by asking Abdullah, who heads the powerful National guard, to run the country after suffering a stroke in 1995. King Fahd leaves behind an economy experiencing its biggest growth in two decades thanks to a spectacular surge in oil prices.

The Saud dynasty dates back to the 18th century, when “Lord of the Desert” Mohammad bin Saud joined forces with an austere Islamic reformer, Mohammad bin Abdul Wahhab, and set about propagating by the sword a return to pure Islam.—AFP