Crown
Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz was proclaimed the
sixth King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on
August 1, 2005, upon the death of Custodian of
the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah
bin Abdulaziz is also Prime Minister of the
Council of Ministers and Commander of the
National Guard.
Prince
Abdullah was born in Riyadh in 1924, and
received his early education at the royal court.
Influenced by his father, founder of the modern
Kingdom King Abdulaziz Al Saud, he developed a
profound respect for religion, history and the
Arab heritage. His years spent living in the
desert with Bedouin tribes taught him their
values of honor, simplicity, generosity and
bravery, and instilled in him the desire to
assist in the development of his people.
As
Crown Prince, he traveled widely throughout the
Kingdom. During the course of 2004, he
inaugurated a number of projects not only in the
capital city of Riyadh, but in Makkah and in
Taif, as well as in the Eastern Province. Always
mindful of the interests of the people, in 2005
he closely monitored the ongoing election
process for the country's municipal councils.
Crown
Prince Abdullah�s State visits overseas
include France in 2005, Austria in 2004, Russia
in 2003, and Germany in 2001, in addition to
travels within the Arab and Islamic worlds. In
2000, following the United Nations Millennium
Summit in New York, he traveled to Brazil,
Argentina, and Venezuela; and in 1998, in a
world tour that included the United States, he
visited Britain, France, China, Japan, South
Korea, and Pakistan.
As
head of Saudi delegations, Crown Prince Abdullah
addressed many conferences, such as the Summit
meeting of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC) in Malaysia in October, 2003;
the Arab-U.S. Summit in Sharm Al-Shaikh in June,
2003; and the Summit of the League of Arab
States in Beirut in March 2002. His
participation in this international diplomacy
reflects the Kingdom's leadership role in
defense of Arab and Islamic issues and for the
achievement of world peace, stability and
security. Peace in the Middle East and the
plight of the Palestinians are of particular
concern to him, and the initiative on these that
he presented at the Beirut Arab Summit in 2002
has been adopted by the League of Arab States,
as has his forward-looking strategy for a
unified Arab stance on international issues.
On
the issue of terrorism, King Abdullah has been
unwavering in his condemnation of the taking of
innocent lives, and in his denunciation of
deviant groups that falsely claim to be Islamic.
At the Counter-Terrorism International
Conference in Riyadh in February, 2005, he urged
international cooperation to fight this global
scourge.
Throughout
his life, King Abdullah has retained a love of
the desert, along with a love of horsemanship.
He is a breeder of pure Arabian horses, and
founder of the equestrian club in Riyadh.
Another life-long passion is reading, to which
he attributes great importance. He has
established two libraries, the King Abdulaziz
Library in Riyadh, and one in Casablanca,
Morocco.
In
1962, Prince Abdullah was chosen by King Faisal
to command the National Guard, which was formed
from descendents of those who were King
Abdulaziz' followers. The National Guard and its
Commander are renowned for their efforts to
preserve and celebrate the country's cultural
heritage. The National Heritage and Culture
Festival, established in 1985 and held at
Jenadriyah each year, is a major part of these
efforts.
While
maintaining charge over the National Guard,
Prince Abdullah was appointed Second Deputy
Prime Minister in 1975 on the succession of King
Khalid, and when King Fahd came to the throne in
1982, he was named Crown Prince and First Deputy
Prime Minister. In the latter capacity, he
presided over cabinet meetings and governed the
country as Deputy to Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz.
The
King's first official visit to the United States
was as Prince Abdullah in 1976, when he met with
President Gerald Ford. His second visit was in
October 1987, as Crown Prince, when he met with
President George H.W. Bush before attending the
Arab summit in Amman.
In
September 1998, Crown Prince Abdullah made a
state visit to the United States, meeting in
Washington, DC with President Bill Clinton and
top American officials. He met again with
President Clinton in September 2000 while
attending the Millennium event at the United
Nations in New York.
On
April 25, 2002, and again on April 25, 2005,
Crown Prince Abdullah was received by President
George W. Bush at the presidential ranch in
Crawford, Texas.
Source: Saudi
Embassy.net
As of March, 2006