Saudis Say King Fahd Is Stable

King Fahd was reported in stable condition Saturday, a day after he was hospitalized with an apparent case of pneumonia.

Saudi officials said the 83-year-old monarch was being treated for respiratory complications after undergoing a procedure to drain water from his lungs.

When Fahd dies, diplomats expect a smooth succession in the kingdom, which has been fighting Al Qaeda militants trying to topple the royal family.

Crown Prince Abdullah, who has been running the state since the king suffered a debilitating stroke in 1995, is expected to ascend to the throne.

But Saudi Arabia’s strategic importance as the nation with the world’s largest proven oil reserves and as home to two of Islam’s holiest shrines means that even a stable succession could affect world markets and have widespread political fallout.

The crown prince presided over a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council on Saturday, seeking to maintain a business-as-usual image.

A Saudi royal office statement read on television Saturday night said tests showed that the king’s “health condition, thank God, is stable and reassuring.”

An official at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh said Fahd’s condition was “improving, albeit slowly.”

During his rule, Fahd brought the kingdom closer to the United States. His most significant action enraged many Islamic extremists: allowing the basing of U.S. troops on Saudi soil after the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

Saudi-born Osama bin Laden, the Al Qaeda leader, cited the U.S. troops’ presence as a main provocation for launching the Sept. 11 attacks and a wave of violence inside the kingdom.

The U.S. withdrew all combat forces from Saudi Arabia in 2003, but a small contingent stayed behind to train and advise Saudi armed forces.