Austria's President Thomas Klestil has complained about gifts he received from the Saudi King.
Klestil told Austria's biggest newspaper that the upkeep of six Arabian thoroughbreds and two dromedary camels given to him by Saudi King Fahd is proving more than he can afford on his presidential allowance.
"These horses will be the ruin of me," Klestil told the Kronenzeitung tabloid, adding that each costs "500 euros in feed, barley, straw, grooming and stabling per month."
The story began back in October 2001 when Klestil and his wife visited Saudi Arabia and the royal family held a horse show in their honour.
Margot Loeffler-Klestil so admired the horses that King Fahd soon afterwards sent her two horses whose pedigrees go back four centuries as well as two one-humped camels.
The president's wife personally went to receive the animals at an airport in central Austrial, which is especially equipped for animal transport.
The couple only started complaining last month when four more thoroughbreds arrived from Saudi Arabia, another gift from the King and one the Klestils could only have refused at the risk of creating an international incident.
To complicate matters, and add to the cost, two of the horses, named Petra and Mustaq, became sick soon after arriving.
They were rushed to a veterinary clinic in Vienna where they remain weeks later to receive treatment for colic and a stubborn infection in their hindlegs.
The camels have proved hardier and cheaper. They are kept at Vienna's famous Schoenbrunn Zoo for about 2,160 euros a year.
However, the overall costs could still rise as King Fahd has learnt of the illness of the two horses and has offered to send two others as well as two more camels.
Again, the Klestils can hardly refuse but the European Union has granted them something of a reprieve by placing a ban on the import of animals from Saudi Arabia because of the risk of spreading disease. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
