Washington, Aug 2, SPA -- Scholars, diplomats, politicians and Muslim advocates around Washington reacted to King Fahd's death Monday with sadness at the passing of a leader who they said did so much to modernize and strengthen The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, while forging a strong relationship with the United States. Jean AbiNader, a board member of the Arab American Institute led by James Zogby, said in a statement that King Fahd had a "remarkable career." Among his accomplishments, AbiNader pointed to Fahd's membership in the Saudi delegation to the United Nations in 1945, his tenure as the Kingdom's first education minister that significantly improved the literacy levels in the country, as well as Fahd's key role in the Kingdom's first five-year development plan. "It is because of these efforts and so many others that King Fahd became the central player in Saudi-U.S. relations," said AbiNader. --MORE1334 Local Time 1034 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/280580