Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah arrived to substitute for the king at the annual conclave of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which is expected to focus on regional security, countering terrorism, and sanctions against Iraq.
But the three-day meeting has been eclipsed by the absence of Fahd, whose country dominates an alliance that also includes Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The Saudi monarch remained hospitalized in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, but the exact nature of his illness has not been disclosed.
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