RIYADH, Aug 3: Saudi Arabia’s new King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz on Wednesday vowed to work for justice and serve his people in his first address to the nation after succeeding his late half-brother King Fahd. “I pledge to God, and then I pledge to you that I take the Quran as my constitution, Islam as my programme and to work for justice and serve all citizens without discrimination,” he said in a speech broadcast on state television.

Saudi scholars, tribal chiefs and officials pledged allegiance to King Abdullah in a ceremony seen as a public endorsement of the new monarch of the oil powerhouse, while foreign dignitaries offered their condolences over Fahd’s death.

Saudi authorities have sought to reassure jittery oil markets that the political situation will remain stable in the world’s largest crude producer after the death of King Fahd, who ruled the country for 23 years.

King Abdullah and new Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz were swamped by leading figures and ordinary Saudis in a sea of red-and-white checkered headdresses in a show of support in line with the ultra-conservative Gulf kingdom’s Islamic tradition.

“This is a historic day... in which the Saudi people will express their complete unity” with the ruling family, said a commentary on state television.

Rulers of Saudi Arabia, whose entire system is based on Islamic law, see the pledge of allegiance based on the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as akin to a public referendum.—AFP