Press Room

Press Releases

King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, An Historical Figure in Saudi Arabia’s Development

Posted on Monday August 1, 2005

On the occasion of the death of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia today, The Arab American Institute (AAI) extends its condolences to the people of the Kingdom and welcomes the quick transition to the leadership of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.

“King Fahd was instrumental in shaping the special relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States that exists today,” said AAI President James Zogby. “We are confident that under the leadership of King Abdallah, Saudi Arabia will continue to advance and the US-Saudi relationship will deepen.”

Jean AbiNader, an AAI board member, who has worked on projects in the Kingdom since 1976, remembers when then Crown Prince Fahd became King on the unexpected death of his older brother, King Khalid in 1982. “We were just finishing up the final exhibits at the Saudi Pavilion at the World’s Fair in Knoxville when we heard the news. We then had to scramble to learn all we could about him and his remarkable career.” AbiNader points to a series of key roles that Fahd played in his more than 50 years of service to his country.

-His first official act outside the Kingdom was in 1945 as a member of the Saudi delegation to the United Nations, of which Saudi Arabia was a founding member.

-He was appointed the Kingdom’s first Education Minister in 1953, setting in motion a series of projects that established a vast educational system that significantly improved the literacy levels in the country.

-In 1970, he was the key government figure in launching the Kingdom’s first five-year development plan, the blueprints by which Saudi Arabia transformed its physical environment, providing universal health care and many other benefits to the Saudi people.

-As Crown Prince, Fahd met with President Jimmy Carter to discuss Middle East peace plans in 1977.

-In 1981, Fahd launched his Fahd Plan for resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict, adopted by the Arab League at the Fez Summit, which was the first time that Arab countries proposed full recognition of Israel.

“It is because of these efforts and so many others that King Fahd became the central player in Saudi-US relations. He was seen as a supporter of the U.S. when many other Arab leaders were distancing themselves from certain US policies in the region” concluded AbiNader.