Saudi king meets separated Siamese twins as he ends Polish visit

Jun 26, 2007, 14:15 GMT

Warsaw - Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud ended a landmark visit to Poland Tuesday on a cheerful note, meeting with sisters born as Siamese twins but separated thanks to his sponsorship.

The Saudi royal gained popularity in Poland two years ago when he funded a complicated and costly operation separating Siamese twin girls Olga and Daria Kolacz at an exclusive clinic in Riyadh.

Physicians say the children have fully recovered from the procedure and are in splendid health.

King Abdullah also held talks behind closed doors with Poland's conservative Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski prior to his departure later Tuesday.

Poland's President Lech Kaczynski, the prime minister's identical twin brother, greeted the king, also known as the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, in Warsaw Monday on the first day of an unprecedented state visit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties.

The two-day visit is the first-ever by a Saudi royal to Poland. According to the Polish Presidential Chancellery, it was intended to 'confirm the special character of Polish-Saudi cooperation and clearly signal further development.'

Both countries intend to increase bilateral trade and investment.

They also sealed a bilateral agreement Monday on cooperation in security issues and fighting crime involving narcotics production, counterfeiting money and documents, trafficking in human beings, people-smuggling and computer crime.