Khaled declares Haj an ‘overwhelming success’

He was relaxed and cheerful as he described this year's pilgrimage as a milestone in the history of the Central Haj Committee. He is the chairman of the committee.
His demeanor was in sharp contrast to last year's press briefing when he had expressed his disappointment at not being able to stop hundreds of thousands of undocumented pilgrims from entering the holy sites.
He joked with journalists at times during the press conference. "Were you able to perform Haj?" he asked them. He smiled when many replied that they could not do so because they did not have Haj permits.
"All government institutions, security forces, volunteers, pilgrim establishments and men on the ground worked as one team to ensure the success of this year's Haj," he said. "You can call this a turning point," he said, and praised Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Salman and Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Naif.
He said the country's leadership and its people were determined to improve Haj services.
"It is our quest to build and add to all these achievements, to make Haj better and better every year until we meet the expectations of our people and the entire Muslim world," he said. "God willing, each year will be better than the previous one," he said.
Prince Khaled had special praise for the security forces.
"They have done a good job of keeping unregistered pilgrims out," he said.
"To all those who were involved in the success of this year's Haj, you have made us proud," he said.
In response to a question from Arab News about the organizational challenges faced by the government this year, he said he would have to study the reports submitted to the Central Haj Committee. He would then identify the "gray areas" and steps needed to improve services.
He said transport would improve significantly with the introduction of the Haj train from Makkah to Mina, which is currently being completed. He said it would be a "big relief" to have thousands of pilgrims shuttle between Makkah and Mina by train.
He said pilgrims and goods flowed smoothly between the holy sites because of the reduced quota this year and a reduction in illegal pilgrims because of government's security crackdown.
Prince Khaled said he did not want to discuss next year's Haj quota until he studies the reports of the Central Haj Committee.
He said the government would provide better services if it controlled the number of pilgrims arriving every year.

Source: ARAB NEWS