RIYADH: The anointment
of Prince Salman
as crown prince of Saudi
Arabia by Custodian of
the Two Holy Mosques
His Highness King
Abdullah sends a strong
message to the world,
while ensuring a smooth
transition in the Kingdom
and proving it is a
haven of stability.
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Prince Salman, a veteran
statesman and administrator,
has been appointed
the new crown
prince of Saudi Arabia
following the death of
Crown Prince Naif. “We
have selected Prince
Salman bin Abdul Aziz
as crown prince and appointed
him as
deputy prime
minister and minister of
defence,” King Abdullah
said in a royal decree.
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King Abdullah issued
another decree appointing
Prince Ahmed as interior
minister, a post held by
the late Prince Naif since
1975. Prince Ahmed was
hitherto the deputy interior
minister.
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After the burial of
Prince Naif in Makkah on
Sunday, the quick elevation
of Prince Salman to
the second most powerful
position, though expected
the world over,
signalled that the royal
family is a real political
institution by displaying
unity and continuity
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Their move yet
again fulfilled
the aspiration of the Saudi
people by providing a
smooth change. “It was
widely expected, so it
came to confirm an expectation.
I think that’s an
indication of the strength
of the element of continuity
within the system,”
said Asaad Al-Shamlan, a
political science professor
in Riyadh.
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Many analysts felt that
Prince Salman would take a
cautious approach to reforms,
while stressing the
key role he plays in handling
major issues within
the family.
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Eleanor Gillespie, a contributing
editor of the London-
based Gulf States
Newsletter, said that Prince
Salman’s job as Riyadh governor
has allowed him to
serve as a generally very
well-respected arbiter of Al-
Saud family affairs, as well
as overseeing the city’s
emergence as Saudi Arabia’s
capital. “Salman has a reputation
for probity and for being
clean when it comes to
money,” she added.
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“Prince Salman advocates
a cautious approach to
social and cultural reforms.
It appeared to me he had a
good handle on the delicate
balancing act he had to do
to move society forward
while being respectful of its
traditions and conservative
ways,” said Robert Jordan,
who was US ambassador in
Riyadh from 2001-03.
“He doesn’t blindly accept
everything the US
says, but at the same time
he understands the importance
of the relationship,which goes beyond oil,” Jordan
added. Jane Kinninmont,
a MidEast and North Africa
senior research fellow from
London’s Chatham House,
said: “The new crown prince
may adopt a more reformist
approach... But don’t expect
change to come quickly or
dramatically.”
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“Crown Prince Salman is
obviously the correct choice
based on Saudi succession…
He is well known
within Saudi Arabia, but also
to international delegations,”
said Theodore Karazik, director
of research at the Institute
for Near East and Gulf Military
Analysis in Dubai.
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