SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayey says his security forces are ready to deal with any situation with all 'seriousness and force' at Haj pilgri

Saudi Arabia's interior minister said on Tuesday (December 26) that his security forces were ready to deal with any situation as millions of Muslims began the Haj pilgrimage amid security concerns over militant attacks and sectarian violence, as well as stampedes and hotel collapses that have marred recent years. 'We are taking all issues into consideration seriously, which is a regular security procedure because we always expect anything to happen. We do not know what will happen, but we will deal with any situation with all seriousness and force, depending on God's will and the abilities of the security men to confront these situations,' Prince Nayef bin Abedal Azziz told reporters. The gruelling five-day ritual, set to begin on Friday, is one of the world's largest displays of mass religious devotion. A duty for every able-bodied Muslim at least once in a lifetime, pilgrims converge on the Grand Mosque in Mecca and follow a route around the rocky mountains of the ancient city, according to a tradition established by the Prophet Mohammed. Regional sectarian tension has heightened security concerns this year, and authorities remain on the look-out for any al Qaeda-linked militant violence -- a fear in recent years. In January, 362 pilgrims died in overcrowding at the Jamarat Bridge on the last day, and that followed the death of 76 people when a hostel collapsed in Mecca days before the rites began. The 2005 death toll was the worst since 1990 when 1,426 people were killed in a stampede in a tunnel in Mecca. The authorities say rigorous checks have been put in place on Mecca's hotels to avoid a repeat of the last tragedy. Saudi Arabia hosts some 1.5 million pilgrims from abroad, and grants visas to some 500,000 people inside the kingdom. But the numbers often swell to 2.5 million as hundreds of thousands of people sneak illegally into the sacred areas. The haj takes place in the shadow of violence between Sunnis and Shi'ites that has taken Iraq to the brink of a civil war. Sunni-Shi'ite tension is also high in Lebanon, where Shi'ites are leading efforts to bring down the Sunni-backed government. The interior ministry is expected to deploy over 50,000 men in the Mecca area to combat potential militants, demonstrators and disorderly behaviour that could lead to overcrowding. Iranian and other pilgrims have in the past used the haj to stage political protests. Sh'ite Iran is currently at loggerheads with the West and Saudi Arabia over its nuclear energy programme and backing for Shi'ite groups in Arab countries, increasing the potential for trouble at the haj. In 1979, radical Muslims of Saudi Arabia's hardline Wahhabi form of Sunni Islam managed to seize the Grand Mosque in Mecca in a two-week stand-off that the U.S.-allied absolute monarchy has been determined never to see happen again. Al Qaeda militants, beholden to Saudi radical Osama bin Laden and holding dear the memory of the Mecca rebellion, launched a violent campaign to topple the royals in 2003. Saudi Arabia said earlier this month it had detained 136 foreign and Saudi militants, some posing as pilgrims, who were planning a series of suicide bombings and assassinations around the vast desert country of 24 million people.

ITN Source | December 27, 2006

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