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Sunday, June 17, 2012

Saudi Arabia: Crown Prince dies in Switzerland


The Saudi Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz al-Saud Minister of Interior and considered a conservative steel, has died at the age of 78 years in Switzerland, canton of Geneva, just eight months after being named heir to the throne after the death of his brother, Prince Sultan. The news, which immediately made the rounds in the Arab media, was given by the state television Ekhbaria who quoted a statement from the palace. A note with a few lines and where it is said that Nayef "and died out of the realm" and that will be buried tomorrow after prayers in Mecca. Prince Nayef has died at the residence of the deceased brother Sultan in Cologny, near Geneva, on the southern shore of Lake Geneva, AFP news agency said a medical source. He was in Switzerland in May for medical reasons. The President of the Confederation Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, "on behalf of the Swiss Federal Council", has presented his condolences to the Saudi authorities, expressing "great sadness". "The authorities of both countries are in close contact on the steps for return of the body of the deceased in his country," indicates a note from the Federal Department of Finance headed by Widmer-Schlumpf. Again the royal family was able to maintain the confidentiality of the health of his heir, unofficial voices argue, was ill with cancer. The suspects were born long ago and were strengthened after Nayef went abroad for the second time to heal. The Wahhabi kingdom, a regional power and oil, has declared three days of mourning after which it will be the announcement of his successor. But, unlike other monarchies, Saudi Arabia, the death of the designated crown prince will not take any power struggle. The line of succession in the kingdom does not move on from father to son, but is handed down from the 40 sons of Abdulaziz ibn Saud, who founded the kingdom in 1935. The choice of King Abdullah and the 'Board of Loyalty "most likely will fall on Prince Salman, Minister of Defense of 76. So far, five brothers became kings and about 20 are still alive. But only a few of these candidates are considered the real to lead the country: some, indeed, have already been excluded and others have given up on governing. In particular, the seven sons of Ibn Saud's favorite wife, Hassa bint Ahmed al-Sudairi, to form the most influential power group, the so-called 'seven Sudairi, among which there are King Fahd and Prince Sultan, both dead, Prince Ahmed, deputy interior minister, Prince Salman and precisely. According to many analysts, the key question will see what will happen when the choice on the next generation, namely that of the grandsons of Ibn Saud. Born in Taef in 1933, was appointed Minister of Interior Nayef in 1970 and again in 1975. The Crown Prince had a reputation as a conservative steel that opposed the reforms of King Abdullah, however, developing a formidable security structure that has crushed al-Qaida, but it has also blocked political activists. Nayef has done, according to many diplomats, a role in the decision of the kingdom to receive the deposed Tunisian President Ben Ali Abdel Aziz and to send troops in Bahrain to help in the suppression of protests led by Shiites. If the choice falls on Prince Salman, the analysts believe that the cautious reforms of King Abdullah will continue. Salman was appointed defense minister in November last year and has served as governor of Riyadh for 50 years. The Prince also maintains strong relationships both with the religious conservatives with pro-Western entrepreneurs.

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