RIYADH/CAIRO -- A Saudi prince offered to pay for the operation to separate a pair of Malaysian Siamese twins in Saudi Arabia, the Arab newspaper **** Al-Sharq al Awsat **** reported.

The chances that Ahmed and Mohammed, who are already four and a half years old and joined at the torso, can be separated are estimated at 90 per cent.

Prince Abdullah bin Abdelaziz, who first heard about the twins in a newspaper report, offered to have the children brought to the Saudi capital, where doctors previously succeeded in separating two other pairs of Siamese twins.

The boys' parents had originally taken them to London where doctors had been prepared to perform surgery for free. However, according to DPA the operation did not take place because the parents could not afford hospital fees.