Saudi King offers benefits as he returns home to troubled region

Saudi King Abdullah arrived home Wednesday after three months abroad, and he went straight into noble monarch mode, boosting social benefits for his people as he returned to a Middle East rocked by anti-government uprisings.

Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz and Bahraini King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa were among a string of officials and royals who turned out to greet the 86-year-old monarch as his plane touched down at King Khaled bin Abdul Aziz Airport.

Saudi Arabia declared a public holiday Saturday to mark the King's safe return home, following back surgery in New York and recuperation in Morocco.

Shortly before arriving, the king boosted social benefits for civil servants, the official Saudi Press Agency said.

He set a 15 percent pay increase for state employees, and he raised funds available for Saudi housing loans.

Abdullah also pardoned some prisoners who were indicted in financial crimes, and he announced plans to tackle unemployment.

Streets and buildings in the capital, Riyadh, were decorated with national flags and large banners welcoming the monarch back to the oil-rich kingdom, whose neighbors, Bahrain and Yemen, are witnessing popular revolts.

The unrest in the Arab world has pushed oil prices higher on fear of disruption in supplies, but Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest crude exporter, has said it has the capacity to meet any shortage.

The front pages of all Saudi newspapers Wednesday were dedicated to news of the king's return, as editorials linked its timing to the "unrest" sweeping the Arab world.

"The king is the only pillar of stability in the region now," said the English-language daily Arab News.

AFP