Mohammed bin Salman Named Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince

Mohammed bin Salman named Saudi Arabia's crown prince.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman has appointed his son, Mohammed bin Salman, as heir, in a major reshuffle announced early on Wednesday.

A royal decree removed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, a 57-year-old nephew of the king, as next-in-line to the throne and replaced him with Mohammed bin Salman, 31, who was previously the deputy crown prince.

Al Jazeera's Moreana Hond reports.

Saudi Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Buried in Mecca
The funeral for Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Nayef bin AbdulAziz has taken place in the city of Mecca. The prince was next in line to the throne, but he died in Geneva, Switzerland, on Saturday. Al Jazeera's Mohammad Vall joins us live from Riyadh to talk about how the prince will be remembered and how Saudi policies might change as a result of his death.

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NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Salman bin Abdelaziz – Ein Thronfolger in Saudiarabien: Nach dem Tod von Prinz Nayif ist dessen Bruder Salman zum Thronfolger bestimmt worden. Salman ist wohl der letzte Sohn des Staatsgründers Abdelaziz, der noch König werden kann. » | Von Jürg Bischoff, Kairo | Montag, 18. Juni 2012

Saudi Arabia's King in Mecca for Crown Prince's Burial
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The aged king of Saudi Arabia led a burial ceremony on Sunday for his brother, Crown Prince Nayef Abdul-Aziz, in the holy city of Mecca before his internment following evening prayers.

He was the second heir to the throne to die outside the country in less than a year. The 88-year-old King Abdullah gathered with royal family members and international envoys for the service. Prince Nayef's wrapped body was carried through crowds of relatives in a ceremony broadcast live on several television channels.

Abdullah has now outlived two appointed successors from among the elderly group of sons of Saudi's founding monarch, King Abdul-Aziz.

Health issues increasingly preoccupy the ruling inner circle in Saudi Arabia and show the vivid contrast between a leadership born at the dawn of Saudi's oil-rich age and the current population heavily weighted toward youth – with more than half under 25 years old. » | Monday, June 18, 2012

Saudi Royals Face Challenges as Heir Dies
THE GUARDIAN: Saudi succession issue after Crown Prince Nayef's death adds to state's problems such as Shia unrest and youth joblessness

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah prepared to bury his former heir, Crown Prince Nayef, on Sunday before naming a new successor at a challenging time for the world's top oil exporter and self-styled steward of Islam.

The crown prince's body arrived in Jeddah a day after his death, where it was met at King Khaled airport by a host of Saudi princes. Among them was the most likely candidate to take the position to succeed the 89-year-old king is Prince Salman, 76, another son of Saudi Arabia's founder Abdul-aziz Ibn Saud.

The new crown prince will become heir to a king who is aged 89 at a time when Saudi Arabia faces a variety of challenges at home and abroad.

Although the interior ministry, which the late Nayef headed for 37 years, crushed al-Qaida inside Saudi Arabia, its Yemeni wing has sworn to topple the ruling Al Saud family and has plotted attacks against the kingdom.

Saudi rulers are also grappling with unrest in areas populated by the Shia Muslim minority and with entrenched youth unemployment.

The kingdom is also locked in a region-wide rivalry with Shia Iran – the party at the airport included former Lebanese prime minister Saad al-Hariri, representing the Sunni Muslim political alliance that Saudi Arabia cultivates against Iran. » | Reuters in Riyadh | Sunday, June 17, 2012

Saudi Crown Prince Nayef Dead
Crown Prince Nayef, the long-serving interior minister who led Saudi Arabia's crackdown against al-Qaeda's branch in the country and then rose to become next in line to the throne, has died. He was in his late 70s. Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who became heir to the throne last year at the age of 78, was head of the country's interior ministry since 1975. Nayef had traveled abroad for medical treatment and had "died outside the kingdom", Al-Ekhbariyah Television said, quoting a statement from the royal court. Al Jazeera's Tarek Bazley reports.

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Saudi Crown Prince Nayef, Heir to Throne, Dies
REUTERS CANADA: RIYADH - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, next in line to rule the world's top oil exporter, has died just eight months after becoming heir to 89-year-old King Abdullah, the royal court said on Saturday.

Analysts and former diplomats said the succession process was likely to be stable, however, with the king and a family council expected to start work on the appointment of a new crown prince, who would probably be another brother of King Abdullah.

"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.

State TV said Nayef had died in Geneva where he had been receiving medical treatment for an unknown problem - he was thought to be 78.

His death was not expected to trigger any major changes to the kingdom's energy policy or to key relationships with the United States and other allies.

"The fundamental principle that the Saudis operate under is stability. So they will I'm sure develop a consensus among the senior members of the family over an orderly succession. That has likely been forming in recent months in any event," said Robert Jordan, U.S. ambassador to Riyadh from 2001-03.

Defence Minister Prince Salman, 76, has long been viewed as the next most senior prince after the late Nayef. If he became king, analysts believe he would continue King Abdullah's cautious reforms.

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

State television said the burial would be in Mecca on Sunday.

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.

The king of neighboring Bahrain ordered a three-day mourning period, Bahrain News Agency said.

Nayef had a reputation as a steely conservative who opposed King Abdullah's reforms and developed a formidable security infrastructure that crushed al Qaeda but also locked up some political activists. » | Angus McDowall | Editing by Sami Aboudi, Louise Ireland and Andrew Osborn | Saturday, June 16, 16, 2012

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Saudi-Arabien – Kronprinz gestorben: Das arabische Königreich steht erneut vor der Suche nach einem Thronfolger. Mit dem Tod von Kronprinz Naif überlebt der greise König Abdullah den zweiten Anwärter auf seine Nachfolge. Beobachter rechnen dennoch mit einer „geordneten“ dynastischen Erbfolge. » | Quelle: DPA | Samstag, 16. Juni 2012

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Arabie Saoudite – Le prince héritier est décédé à Genève : Le prince héritier d’Arabie saoudite, Nayef ben Abdel Aziz, est décédé à Genève, où il se trouvait depuis mai pour des raisons médicales. Ses obsèques seront célébrées dimanche à La Mecque. » | ats/Newsnet | samedi 16 juin 2012

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Saudi Crown Prince Nayef, Next In Line to the Throne, Dies
REUTERS.COM: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz al-Saud has died in Geneva, Saudi state television said on Saturday, citing a royal court statement.

Nayef, interior minister since 1975 and thought to be 78, was the heir to Saudi King Abdullah and was appointed crown prince in October after the death of his elder brother and predecessor in the role, Crown Prince Sultan.

State television said the burial would be in Mecca on Sunday.

His death means the 89-year-old King Abdullah must nominate a new heir for the second time in nine months. » | Angus McDowall | RIYADH | Editing by Louise Ireland | Saturday, June 16, 2012