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[johnslat]

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia � The heir to the Saudi throne, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz Al Saud, died in New York Saturday after an illness, state TV said. The death of the prince, who was in his 80s, opens questions about the succession in the critical, oil-rich U.S. ally.

Sultan was the half-brother of Saudi Arabia�s King Abdullah, who has also been ailing and underwent back surgery last week.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/22/world/meast/saudi-arabia-prince-dead/

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/66614.html#ixzz1bW7wppOM

[Mysterious]

That is sad news, any death is sad really, as family members are the ones that get hurt the most. It's sad that a lot of parts of the web are celebrating the death and talking ill of him before he even got a chance to rule the country

What is Nayef like? Will he allow all teachers to have iqamas as soon as they enter the country?

[johnslat]

Nayef has headed the Ministry of the Interior - and runs the secret police.

He's repressive and perhaps just a little whacko - he denied that any Saudis were involved in 9?11 long after it was considered indisputable.

In January, a Saudi human rights group asked King Abdullah to cut him out of the line of succession and prosecute him:

"A Saudi human rights group has asked King Abdullah to fire the kingdom�s powerful interior minister, Prince Nayef, and prosecute him for what it says are systematic human rights violations in the country. In an unprecedented move, the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association sent a letter to the king, saying the Interior Ministry�s policies are a fundamental force driving local and global violence and extremism."

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/08/world/middleeast/08briefs-SAUDI.html?_r=1&ref=nayef

He is The Prince of Darkness.

"Prince Nayef, 69

"Best known as the minister of the interior, he is considered ''a tough cop,'' as one longtime State Department official puts it. ''Brutal'' may be applicable, too. According to the State Department, ''Ministry of Interior officials are responsible for most incidents of abuse of prisoners, including beatings, whippings, sleep deprivation and at least three cases of drugging of foreign prisoners.'' Nayef has been more outspoken than other princes. In a recent interview with a Kuwaiti newspaper, he said that the ''Zionist-controlled media'' had used the Sept. 11 attacks to drive a wedge between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. He is the supervisor general of the Saudi Committee for the Al Quds Intifada, which helps the families of suicide bombers."

By the way, Sultan's nickname was Mr. 10% - gained because he demanded (and, of course, got) that much of a kickback for any arms deals.

"Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, 78

"Best known as the minister of defense and aviation. According to the rules of fraternal succession, he could be next in line to be king after Prince Abdullah. He purchases the best weapons money can buy, including U.S. tanks, fighter planes, missiles and Awacs (airborne warning and control systems). Yet, in spite of billions spent, the Saudi military is considered inadequate, and much of the gear reportedly sits abandoned. Sultan, who has been dubbed Mr. 10 Percent, supposedly became extraordinarily wealthy from kickbacks from Western businesses that handled multibillion-dollar defense contracts."

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/22/magazine/22SAUDI.html?pagewanted=all

Of the two, I'd have preferred Sultan - a thief, of course, but one who could be trusted to stay bought. Nayef's a loose cannon.

Here's an interesting article:

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2011/08/9-11-2011-201108

Regards,
John

[bulgogiboy]

John,

Do you think there'll be a holiday for the funeral/mourning?

[johnslat]

Dear bulgogiboy,

I doubt it - way back in the early 80s, when Khalid died and Fahd took over, we had a holiday and even, if I remember correctly, a small bonus.

Hmm, having thought it over, I believe it was bigger than a "small bonus." I think we actually got an extra month's salary on Fahd's ascension to the throne.


But since then, nada.

Regards,
John

[BretHarte]

I've heard if he becomes the next King, Saudi becomes the next Libya. I don't see that anger in the population. At least not from where I'm working.

[Cool Teacher]

Why don't the Saudis let their children become kings. It seems it has to be all the borthers. When they run out of brothers they'll have to go down I guess but who will be first?

[veiledsentiments]

[johnslat]

Dear Cool Teacher,

"Why don't the Saudis let their children become kings?"

Probably, because - to quote Mel Brooks, "It's GOOD to be the king."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuMQjKiaDTg

"It's good to be king, if just for a while
To be there in velvet, yeah, to give 'em a smile
It's good to get high, and never come down
It's good to be king of your own little town

Yeah, the world would swing if I were king
Can I help it if I still dream time to time

It's good to be king and have your own way
Get a feeling of peace at the end of the day
And when your bulldog barks and your canary sings
You're out there with winners, yeah, it's good to be king

Yeah I'll be king when dogs get wings
Can I help it if I still dream time to time

It's good to be king and have your own world
It helps to make friends, it's good to meet girls
A sweet little queen who can't run away
It's good to be king, whatever it pays

Excuse me if I have some place in my mind
Where I go time to time"

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/wm-A10302B00001912305/tom_petty_its_good_to_be_king_official_music_video/

Regards,
John

[posh]

There was a holiday earlier this year (even non-Saudis were given the day off) when the King prised himself out of his US ranch fearing the infernal Egyptian/Tunisian/Libyan, etc uprisings would spread to KSA and sling him out too.

He came back, announced the holiday, 2 months salary bonus for government staff (Saudis only) and 2,000SR a month for the unemployed. His subjects drove up and down corniches everywhere waving flags and chanting his name as if he was a one-man football team. Monty Python would have had a field day.