Agencies/Riyadh
Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz has died, the palace announced yesterday.
“With deep sorrow and sadness the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz mourns the death of his brother and his Crown Prince Sultan... who died at dawn this morning Saturday outside the kingdom following an illness,” said a Saudi royal court statement carried on official media.
The crown prince, aged 80 according to government records, served as defence minister for nearly five decades and had been in the US since mid-June for medical treatment. He was operated on in July.
A half brother of King Abdullah, Sultan spent long periods abroad for undisclosed medical treatment.
Sultan had been a central figure in Saudi decision-making since becoming defence minister in 1962 and was made crown prince in 2005.
US President Barack Obama expressed his “great regret” at the death of the crown prince and noted the important role that Sultan had played in cementing ties between the two nations.
“He was a strong supporter of the deep and enduring partnership between our two countries forged almost seven decades ago,” Obama said in a statement, adding that he had been “a valued friend of the US.”
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on a trip to Tajikistan, said the prince would be “missed,” stressing Washington’s enduring ties with the Gulf state.
“I offer my deepest condolences for this loss to King Abdullah and the Saudi people,” she said. “He will be missed.”
In Jordan, King Abdullah II opened a World Economic Forum in the country’s Dead Sea resort town with a minute of silence in the late prince’s honour, hailing him as a “champion of the Arab and Muslim cause.”
Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron said he was “saddened” to hear of Sultan’s death.
“He had many friends in this country, and we have all benefited from his wisdom and expertise in international affairs over his long years of service,” the prime minister said.
Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, wrote to King Abdullah, his Clarence House office said.
“The Prince of Wales sent a personal letter of condolence to the king of Saudi Arabia expressing his deep sadness at the news,” a spokesman said.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad also sent condolences to the king.
And Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi sent condolences, expressing “sympathy to his counterpart and the deceased’s next of kin,” media reported.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement she had learned of the prince’s death “with great sadness” and offered her “sincere condolences and deepest sympathy to the Kingdom and its people for the great loss.”
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said: “He served the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for many years with great dignity and dedication. His contribution to the prosperity and development of the kingdom will long be remembered.”
Prince Nayef, who is expected to become crown prince, was named second deputy premier in March 2009.
Another half-brother of King Abdullah, he holds the interior portfolio.
Prince Sultan’s funeral is to be held on Tuesday after his body has been repatriated from the US.
Sultan had battled colon cancer since 2004, going to Switzerland and then the US to seek treatment, according to diplomats.
King Abdullah is now likely to summon the Allegiance Council of the ruling al-Saud family, set up in 2006 to make the succession process more transparent, to approve his preferred heir.
“The succession will be orderly,” said Asaad al-Shamlan, a political science professor in Riyadh. “The point of reference will be the ruling of the Allegiance Council. It seems to me most likely Nayef will be chosen. If he becomes crown prince, I don’t expect much immediate change.”
“Things are in order, thanks to the wise leadership represented in King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz,” Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, a brother of both Abdullah and Sultan and member of the Allegiance Council, told reporters.
King Abdullah leaves hospital
Saudi King Abdullah left hospital yesterday after back surgery and will continue treatment at a royal clinic, the Royal Court said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency. “The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud ... left the King Abdulaziz Medical City this Saturday evening ... after God graced him with health to continue treatment in the clinic of his palace,” it said. King Abdullah had a successful operation to tighten the ligaments around his third vertebra on Monday.