Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah welcomed the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who have arrived for Haj and urged officials to provide the guests of God with all required facilities and services. King Abdullah made this comment while chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting in Riyadh, its last before the Haj. Makkah Governor and Chairman of the Central Haj Committee Prince Abdul Majeed said recently that the government has completed all preparations for the five-day annual event.

Saudi authorities are, meanwhile, working hard to ensure pilgrims coming for Haj are disease-free and pose no threat to the Kingdom’s security. The director of the health control center at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, the main gateway of pilgrims, explained the screening procedures being carried out by his officers. “The first thing we did one month ago was compile a list of countries plagued with certain diseases,” said Dr. Mohammed Al-Harithy.

He said special measures had been taken to deal with pilgrims coming from Africa, the Indian Subcontinent and countries like Egypt and Yemen where infectious diseases such as cholera and meningitis are common.

More than 2.5 million pilgrims are expected to perform Haj this year. According to Passport Department Director General Maj. Gen. Salem Al-Belaihed, 1,269,209 pilgrims came from abroad by Sunday night.

More and more Haj flights are landing in Jeddah every day. “Once a plane from a plagued country lands, we dispatch two inspectors,” Harithy said. “The door of the aircraft is not opened until our people get there.” He says inspectors collect a written certificate from the pilot confirming that the plane has been disinfected and check for empty spray canisters as proof. Some 4,500 pilgrims from Kyrgyzstan will be vaccinated against meningitis — a disease involving the inflammation of the tissues around the brain or spinal chord, Harithy said. The Kingdom will pay for the inoculations because of the economic difficulties in the former Soviet republic, he added. A glossy poster at the entrance to the airport clinic tells pilgrims to “pitch in to stop the spread of avian flu.”

Cabinet members welcomed the resolutions adopted by the recent Arab foreign ministers’ meeting in Cairo and called for strengthening the strategic relations between Syria and Lebanon. They reiterated the government’s resolve to root out terrorism.

Information Minister Iyad Madani said the Cabinet decided to sign two accords with India: One to avoid double taxation and prevent tax evasion and the other for cooperation in sports and youth affairs. Two agreements will be signed with China: One to promote cooperation in oil, gas and mineral sectors and the other for cooperation in health. Another accord will be inked with Malaysia to avoid double taxation and prevent tax evasion.