[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="82512,82534,82533,82532,82531,82530,82529,82528,82527,82526,82525,82524,82523,82522,82521,82520,82519,82517,82516,82515,82514,82513"] By Badea Abu Al-Naja Saudi Gazette Makkah -- The Saudi authorities are well-prepared with pre-emptive and precautionary plans to meet any contingencies or untoward incidents during Haj, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, who is also the Chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee, said here on Monday. The Crown Prince was addressing a press conference after inspecting Haj security forces' parade in Mina. Answering a question on Iranian media and senior officials blaming Saudi Arabia for not enabling Iranian pilgrims to perform this year's Haj, he said that Saudi Arabia, since its inception, has been serving the Two Holy Mosques, taking care of pilgrims and providing them all facilities to perform Haj rituals in comfort and safety. The Crown Prince said: "What was instigated by Iranian media and some Iranian officials is not based on credibility and objectivity. They very well know that the Kingdom has provided Iranian pilgrims, like others, all facilities. But this year, the Iranian Haj Mission set conditions contrary to the purpose of the pilgrimage and contrary to the commitments of the rest of other Haj missions, in a way that endangered the security of pilgrims, including Iranian pilgrims. "The conditions they set violated the sanctity of the place and Haj time. The Kingdom does not allow any act contrary to the rites of the pilgrimage that may disturb security and affect the lives of pilgrims and their safety, be them Iranians or otherwise. "The Iranian authorities are not interested in sending Iranian pilgrims for Haj for reasons Iranians themselves know. They want to politicize Haj and convert it into an occasion to violate the teachings of Islam, through slogan-shouting and disturbing the security of pilgrims, something that we do not accept. "We stand firm and strong against attempts to breach security during Haj." The Crown Prince said that Haj is a sacred duty and the place is an honored place. "Our duty is to guarantee the safety of pilgrims. The Kingdom will deal firmly with any violations and will not compromise the security of pilgrims. Each violator will be held responsible and brought to law." Answering a question on how to deal with pilgrims coming from Yemen, including the positions of those who oppose Saudi-supported legitimacy in Yemen, the Crown Prince cited his previous answer that the Kingdom welcomes all pilgrims who come to attend the ritual of Haj from any country in the world. "Yemeni pilgrims, in particular, are always welcome to benefit from the facilities provided to them by the Kingdom. Houthis and their allies are the ones who might derail Yemenis from securing their personal wills to perform Haj."
