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King Fahd ibn Abdul Aziz Al Sa’oud was proclaimed the fifth king of Saudi Arabia on June 13, in 1982 when king Khaled died.
He was born in Riyadh in 1923. His father was King Abd-al-Aziz Al Sa'oud, the founder of the kingdom. He has seven brothers from King Abdul Aziz's favorite wife, Hassa bint Ahmadi al-Sudayri, and is therefore referred to as one of the Sudayri seven.
King Al Sa'oud founded the Saudi kingdom in 1932. Oil was discovered a few years later and made both the royal family and the new country extremely wealthy within a short period of time.
After suffering a stroke in 1995, King Fahd's poor health condition has forced him to remain in the backstage of the public life with Crown Prince Abdullah performing most of the head-of-state duties.
King Fahd studied Islamic history, politics and Arabic language in Riyadh at a private school established for members of the royal family. Later he moved to Mecca to study the Islamic religion.
Political life
King Fahd entered the political life when he was in his early twenties, serving under King Faisal, his brother, who was foreign minister at the time. Both attended the signing of the United Nations Charter in 1945.
At the age of thirty, he became an education minister and held the post for seven years. In 1962, he took the interior portfolio.
Later, he became the first deputy prime minister. When Khaled became king in 1975, Fahd was named as crown prince.
Foreign policy
King Fahd focused on improving regional and international relations more than his predecessors.
He said in his investiture speech; "We are active, fellow countrymen, in the wider international sphere within the framework of the United Nations, its agencies and its committees,"
"We are committed to the charter, we reinforce its endeavors...Our acts have reflected, and will continue to reflect, our sense of belonging to the world community."
Regarding regional affairs, he helped in ending the 15-year civil war in Lebanon by facilitating talks among leaders of the warring parties in the Saudi city of Al Taef.
Also, he designed a peace plan for the Middle East which was adopted by the Arab League in 1982.
On the international stage, King Fahd was criticised for the ties he nurtured between the kingdom and the United States, allowing U.S. troops to be stationed in the kingdom.
In 1985, he made his first official visit to Washington, D.C. During his visit, King Fahd stressed on the need for a renewed, vivid American role in the Middle East peace process.
However, the Saudi-American ties deteriorated after the September 2001 attacks on the United States.
Servant of the Two Holy Sites
King Fahd wanted to highlight the kingdom’s unique position of being located on the land where Islam was born. He was given the title of “Servant of the Two Holy Sites”; at Mecca and Madina, in 1986.
But King Fahd has failed to enforce political reforms. He is criticised for giving in to Western pressures and for ignoring the corruption of certain members of the royal family.
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