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Saudi Arabia Sets Up Operations Room to Serve Qataris | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba at the Grand mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia September 8, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah


Jeddah- Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has called for the creation of a special operations room that will cater to Qatari pilgrims as they visit Makkah for the holy Hajj pilgrimage in the coming week in light of the cut of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Thani announced.

The operation room will be managed by a Qatari member of the ruling family and staffed by Saudi nationals.

“I am grateful to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad for their gracious hospitality and their generous responses,” Sheikh Abdullah tweeted on his official Twitter account.

“Their keenness on the interests of the people of Qatar prompted me to request a hotline to ease the travel of Qataris to their families or to their properties in Saudi Arabia. I call upon all Qataris who have any kind of request to call 00966 122367999.”

King Salman gave orders to the Saudi authorities to allow Qataris to drive through the Salwa border crossing and to fly at the King’s expense from the airports of Ahsa and Dammam in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.

He also ordered the dispatching of Saudi Airlines planes to Doha to transport Qatari pilgrims for free to Jeddah, the closest airport to Makkah where the Hajj rituals are held annually.

Sheikh Abdullah added that the governor of the Saudi central bank denied allegations that the Qatari riyal was no longer traded in Saudi Arabia and assured him that there were no measures against it and that the currency was accepted in the Kingdom.