going works of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz's project of expansion of the Holy Mosque in Makkah. We are committed with decreasing the number of pilgrims in this year comparing with the recent years due to the construction works. It is expected that the capacity of Mattaf is to be doubled after finishing the project. The project of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah will contribute in raising the number of visitors." Regarding the effect of the existing strategic projects in the capacity of this Hajj season, Prince Mohammed said that "we have a confidence on the citizens and expatriates in the Kingdom to take into consideration the exceptional circumstances in this Hajj season through committing Hajj regulations and gaining the permits for everyone wants to perform Hajj rituals. Electronic gates are operated in Makkah's entrances in order to control movement of inside pilgrims who have Hajj permits." In a reply to a question regarding the percentages of pilgrims for the Islamic countries, Prince Mohammed confirmed that "we are committed with the announced percentages for the Islamic countries. So, there are realistic and logical justifications for what have been issued by the supreme authorities to decrease the percentages of the pilgrims with 20% in comparison with last year. The capacity is decreased due to the projects in the holy sites. On the other hand, the regulations and orders have been issued for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy abroad to commit the announced percentages. So, these procedures are taken for the safety and security of pilgrims to perform their Hajj rituals easily and comfortably."
