UAE leaders mourn Saudi Crown Prince Nayef

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UAE leaders mourn Saudi Crown Prince Nayef

The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, sent a cable of condolences to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, on the death of Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, who died on Saturday morning.

By (Agencies)

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Published: Sun 17 Jun 2012, 9:34 AM

Last updated: Tue 7 Apr 2015, 12:09 PM

The Saudi Crown Prince, next in line to rule, has died just eight months after becoming heir to King Abdullah, the Saudi royal court said.

The UAE President expressed his heartfelt condolences to King Abdullah on the demise of Prince Nayef. May Allah rest his soul in eternal peace, the cable said.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, also sent a cable of condolences to King Abdullah. Shaikh Mohammed expressed his profound sorrow and solace to Al Saud family and the Saudi people. May Almighty Allah rest his soul in peace, the cable said.

Their Highnesses Members of the Supreme Council and Rulers of Emirates, Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi of Sharjah, Shaikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi of Ras Al Khaimah, Shaikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi of Fujairah, Shaikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla of Umm Al Quwain and Shaikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi of Ajman also sent cables of condolences to Saudi King Abdullah.

Saudi Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz

Saudi state TV said Prince Nayef had died in Geneva where he had been receiving medical treatment for an unknown problem. He was thought to be 79. “With deep sorrow and grief... King Abdullah mourns his brother... Crown Prince Nayef who passed to the mercy of God on Saturday outside the kingdom,” said a royal court statement carried by state media. His funeral would be held on Sunday after Maghrib prayers in the holy city of Makkah, after his body is repatriated, it added.

Prince Nayef, interior minister since 1975, was appointed crown prince in October after the death of his elder brother Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz.

In a statement, British Foreign Secretary William Hague expressed his government’s condolences, saying he was sad to hear of Nayef’s death. “He served the Kingdom for many years with great dignity and dedication and his contribution to the prosperity and security of the Kingdom will be long remembered,” said Hague.

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain ordered a three-day mourning period, BNA said.

Prince Nayef developed a formidable security infrastructure that crushed Al Qaeda. “He supervised the security affairs of the state for more than 30 years. He scored a lot of successes there. Especially in fighting Al Qaeda,” said Khalid Al Dakhil, a Saudi political analyst. As interior minister, Prince Nayef also dismantled charitable organisations that collected donations for the terror network.

In 2006, King Abdullah established the allegiance council, a body of 30-odd senior princes, as a new succession mechanism aimed in the long term to choose the crown prince. “No doubt, the new crown prince will be appointed by the allegiance council,” said Anwar Eshqi, head of the Jeddah-based Middle East Centre for Strategic Studies.

Defence Minister Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, 76, has been viewed as the next most senior prince after the late Prince Nayef. “All expectations point to Prince Salman to UAE leaders mourn Saudi Crown Prince Nayef succeed Prince Nayef for his experience in administration, security and politics,” Eshqi said.

Prince Salman was made defence minister in November and had served as Riyadh governor for five decades.

Salman has often met foreign diplomats and other officials, and maintained strong relations with both conservative clerics and Western-oriented businessmen.

Prince Nayef, a soft-spoken man of medium build, was born in 1933, the 23rd son of King Abdulaziz, the family patriarch who founded the kingdom in 1932.

Prince Nayef had been abroad on several occasions this year for medical reasons, including to Algeria, the United States and Switzerland, where he was shown on television in Geneva three days ago greeting supporters.

Less than two weeks ago, his brother Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz was quoted as saying in a Saudi daily that the crown prince was in “good health” and would “soon” return to the kingdom.

On May 26, SPA news agency said Prince Nayef had left the country for medical tests abroad for the second time in less than three months, without naming the destination.

In March, the royal palace said he went to Algeria on holiday after the results of medical tests he underwent in the US city of Cleveland were reported as “reassuring”.

He returned to Saudi Arabia from Algeria on April 10.

General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces; Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai; also sent cables of condolences to King Abdullah. They expressed their profound sorrow to Al Saud family and the Saudi people.

Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah; Shaikh Abdullah bin Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah; Shaikh Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah; Shaikh Mohammed bin Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince of Ras Al Khaimah; Shaikh Hamad bin Saif Al Sharqi, Deputy Ruler of Fujairah; Shaikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah; Shaikh Rashid bin Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla, Crown Prince of Umm Al Quwain; Shaikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman and Shaikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Representative of the UAE President sent similar cables to King Abdullah.


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