Annan mourns death of Saudi Arabian king

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan mourned the death of King Fahd Bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.

In a statement issued by the spokesman, Annan said he learned with sadness of the death of the King, and wanted to extend his deepest condolences to the family of the King, as well as to the government and people of the Kingdom.

"The Secretary-General notes that for almost quarter of a century, the economic, social and political development of Saudi Arabia has been associated with King Fahd's name," Dujarric said.

Annan also noted that while recognizing the demands of the modern world, King Fahd was also firmly guided, in the tradition of his predecessors, by the principles and traditions of Islam, Dujarric said.

The Secretary-General paid tribute to King Fahd's enduring contributions in the field of international and regional diplomacy, where he worked tirelessly to achieve peaceful solutions based on justice, the spokesman said.

"The King was a true friend of the United Nations since its inception, having attended the inauguration of the Organization as a member of the Saudi delegation in 1945," Dujarric said. "King Fahd will be remembered not only with deep affection and loyalty among the people of the Kingdom, but with profound respect in the Islamic, Arab and world communities."

Source: Xinhua