MADRID: Members of the inner circle of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia have held a series of secret meetings in Geneva to discuss the succession amid fears that the ailing king’s health is fast deteriorating, it was learnt.

The 79-year-old king, who has suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for several years, has been in his palatial villa in the Swiss city since May and last week had a successful operation on a cataract. But according to the London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Quds his health is failing, and this has prompted discussions on the sensitive issue of the succession.

According to the paper two potential successors, Prince Sultan and Prince Salman, have met secretly with the king’s inner circle in the past few weeks. The king’s son, Mohamad, who is also his chief-of-staff, is said to have led talks aimed at finding an alternative to Crown Prince Abdullah, the kingdom’s de facto ruler.

The US government is reported to be opposed to the Abdullah succession because of his position on Israel and, more recently, Iraq. This week the Saudi government indicated it would deny US forces access to bases in the kingdom in the event of an attack on Iraq, but insisted it had not asked US troops to leave its bases near Riyadh.

Prince Abdullah’s peace initiative for Palestine is also said to have damaged his standing in Washington. The Saudi succession has the potential to destabilize the entire region. The ruling dynasty is under increasing international pressure to prove that it has not nurtured or encouraged Al Qaeda elements, and a briefing paper presented to the Pentagon recently suggested the country should be viewed as a potential US enemy.

Internal dissent is also on the increase in Saudi Arabia. Despite doubts about his health, rumours persist in Spain and Geneva that King Fahd is due to arrive at his holiday palace in Marbella at the weekend. The Mar-Mar palace, an imitation of the White House with its own private mosque, has begun hiring 500 extra staff, according to Sur, the local newspaper.

The last time King Fahd stayed at his palace was in 1999. On that occasion he had to be lowered by a mechanical platform from his private jet. Arriving with seven aircraft, the king reportedly also brought his own mobile surgery. He and his retinue were said to have spent $76.5 million during their six-week stay.—Dawn/The Guardian News Service.