Rich and Poor Welcome as Prince Holds Court

First came several Kuwaiti refugees, expressing gratitude for the Saudi government’s hospitality.

Next came a man involved in a land dispute. Then a man seeking help in finding medical treatment. Another came to offer a poem.

Prince Muhammed ibn Abdulaziz, the son of King Fahd and governor of Arabia’s oil-rich Eastern Province, had time for each of them.

Muhammed was holding open court Wednesday in his ornate palace, continuing a tribal tradition of being host to a daily majlis , complete with a Bedouin royal guard.

In Saudi Arabia, even the king is obliged to hold majlis , and everyone is welcome.

The majlis dates to the country’s nomadic, tribal days and the advice of the Koran that Muslims confer among themselves to settle disputes and make policy.

All comers, rich and poor, got a few minutes of the prince’s time, and his promise to look into their concerns.

Watching were foreign reporters, who listened intently to discussions of local land disputes before seeking Muhammed’s view on the larger dispute that had brought them there--the Iraqi invasion of neighboring Kuwait.

The Kuwaitis, he said, are welcome in Saudi Arabia and will be housed free, offered medical care and even pocket money if necessary.

“The Kuwaitis are like brothers,” he said. “Any number are welcome in this country.”