About the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia...and its historical role

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I lived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for more than ten years during my work as Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and I became aware of the sublime and crucial meanings that belong to the Kingdom, not only for its people, its kings, and its neighbors, but for all the necessities of security and stability in it and in the world of Arabs and Islam, and more than that in all parts of the globe. It, its land, and its people are an asset for security and stability for the region, for neighboring and distant countries, and for everyone who is interested in a decent life, in this world. This is a truth that everyone and from all continents have realized. It is not the source of the Islamic religion, the location of the Islamic sanctities, and the base that recorded the history of the Arabs. Rather, it is the protector of the sanctities, aware of its responsibilities in preserving them, aware of the enormity of the responsibilities it bears, and accepting the weight of the mission that was its share in preserving these sanctities, preserving their effectiveness, and protecting them from the troubles of time, while ensuring their readiness to receive those coming to them from Muslims, and others from different backgrounds. Continents. Fortunately for our current world, the confidence of Muslims and others has increased in the sophistication of the rulers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and their high awareness of the sublime meanings that it expresses, not only the holy places, but also the facts of the history of Islam and the breadth of its geography extending to continents covering Asia, Africa, and the outskirts of Europe, and the perpetuation of its effectiveness and continued existence. I was greatly impressed by the readiness of the Saudi state to bear the burdens of historical responsibility imposed by the Islamic religion and its requirements for protecting and preserving the holy sites and preparing the access of Muslims from various countries to these holy sites and ensuring their safety and providing their comfort and the requirements of their existence. I have followed the preparation steps undertaken by the Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaFor this mission, with great keenness to achieve perfection, not only in the effort, but in the achievement, the Saudi administration has been able to fulfill everything that Muslims require of pilgrims to the House of God, Umrah performers, and visitors, and has prepared the appropriate roads that lead to these holy sites, as well as hotels, places of residence, shopping, and providing all the requirements of life. I have seen the Saudi agencies and their officials devoting themselves to this permanent mission, whose goal is to serve the visitor and pilgrim and facilitate his access to what he wants. The Saudi authority has also placed the comfort of the pilgrim and visitor. As a priority in the series of duties you perform.

With the success of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its rulers in fulfilling everything that pilgrims and others dream of, and the increasing good reputation and high position that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia occupies, not only in the world of Islam, but also in the global community, opponents are moving to sabotage the reputation of this high position that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia occupies in terms of beauty of behavior, cleanliness of preparation, and ensuring the safe return of everyone who comes to visit and worship.

I performed the duty of Hajj twice, once with the most important invitees, which was an experience of great satisfaction and enjoyment, and another time with friends who brought us together in the Holy Mosque and visited Medina, and it was an occasion that still brings together the rest of the group in reminiscing about its splendor and beauty. King Fahd assumed power after the death of King Khalid, and because he followed the Gulf Cooperation Council, he participated in the summit meetings of the Cooperation Council with King Khalid. He was interested in details and sought to escalate interest in what the Council wanted. It also continued to communicate with the King’s Office to ensure the transmission of developments in the Cooperation Council and to gain the support of His Majesty.

King Fahd was a king, a leader, an initiator, and a devotee to knowing the details about the council’s progress. He advised to be patient about some positions and seek collective consensus, out of appreciation for the circumstances of some. There is no need to rush, and what is important is unity of speech and solidity of positions.

The kings of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were statesmen who were aware of the events of the region and the reality of the world. They kept pace with development, sought the benefits of friendship, followed world events and drew lessons from them, and improved the arts of understanding changes without haste and in all calmness without noise, while opening doors to all, far and near, Arabs, Muslims, and others, and with the feeling of statesmen. Brotherly Saudi pride emerged with the catastrophe of Saddam Hussein’s invasion of the State of Kuwait and the announcement of its annexation of Iraq. Despite opening the doors to destruction for Saddam Hussein’s regime, history has recorded this ugly reality, as well as our failure not to be wary of Saddam Hussein’s madness and his danger to the reality of the State of Kuwait. The solidity of the Saudi position and King Fahd’s leadership of the path of Saudi solidity was in its commitment to liberating Kuwait with full mobilization in its entirety to achieve this goal. I was close to King Fahd during that painful period, and he always wanted to reassure the Kuwaiti community in Riyadh and reiterate the necessity of conveying to the Kuwaiti citizens that the date of return is not far away and that waiting is necessary for the completion of all arrangements that secure liberation.

It was a historical stage that called for good preparation and qualified preparation to lead to a sound end to the operation to liberate Kuwait. It also called for a certain conviction in the success of the mission, and more than that, accepting sacrifices, regardless of their size, and showing the rare will in order to ensure success.

I remember the tape of history and what it recorded about the role of King Fahd in launching the path of liberation from a Saudi decision that summoned collective global support to participate in a rare historical mobilization. We, the people of Kuwait, continue to cherish and value the effectiveness of the Saudi will in confrontation and returning Kuwait to its people, as all the peoples of the world and their governments followed it with admiration, and history recorded that the Saudi-Kuwaiti partnership achieved and highlighted the completion of brotherhood and the fullness of its depth.

We and our future generations remain fully impressed by the magnitude of the determination and the prestige of the Saudi will, which facilitated the paths to liberating Kuwait and returning it to its people, and the Kingdom remains an influential and steadfast pillar in the history of Kuwait.