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Such success seemed a remote prospect when, a few days before the summit began, King Fahd ibn Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia announced he would stay home, a decision that was seen as a blow to King Hussein's prestige.

In a royal decree, Saudi Arabia's King Fahd ibn Abdul Aziz dismissed Yamani, 56, as his Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister, a post he had held since 1962.

Declared King Fahd ibn Abdul Aziz last month in a nationwide address: "We are surrounded by the most critical conditions we have ever faced."

When three Saudi Arabian princes, including Minister of the Interior Fahd ibn Abdul Aziz, dropped more than $6 million on the roulette wheel at the Monte Carlo Casino, even jaded Monegasques were aghast.

When Saudi Heir Apparent Prince Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz warned that American firms risked losing Saudi business because of slow deliveries, the group formed an impromptu committee to advise the Saudis on ways to streamline their purchasing procedures in the U.S.