Saudi King Abdullah Passes away, Salman Declared King

Local Editor

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah died early Friday at the age of 90 and was succeeded by his brother Salman, the royal court said in a statement carried by state television.

"His Highness Salman bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud and all members of the family and the nation mourn the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz, who passed away at exactly 1 a.m. this morning," said the short statement.

King Salman, 79, has named his half-brother Muqrin, who is 69, as his crown prince and heir.
Abdullah will be buried Friday following afternoon prayers, and citizens were invited to pledge allegiance to the new monarch and crown prince at the royal palace, the statement said.

King Abdullah was hospitalized on Dec. 31 for medical tests. The royal court announced two days later that he had pneumonia and was breathing with the aid of a tube.
US President Barack Obama expressed his condolences and saluted the late king's commitment to close US-Saudi ties.

"As a leader, he was always candid and had the courage of his convictions," Obama said in a statement. "One of those convictions was his steadfast and passionate belief in the importance of the US-Saudi relationship as a force for stability and security in the Middle East and beyond.

"The closeness and strength of the partnership between our two countries is part of King Abdullah's legacy," the statement added.

Obama said that as the two allies "worked together to confront many challenges, I always valued King Abdullah's perspective and appreciated our genuine and warm friendship."

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning over the king, a strong supporter of Palestinian rights.
French President Francois Hollande issued a statement of condolence and Egyptian leader Abdel-Fattah Sisi cut short a visit to Switzerland and headed for the Saudi capital to pay his respects.

At stake with the appointment of Salman as king is the future direction of the United States' most important Arab ally and self-appointed champion of Sunni Islam at a moment of unprecedented turmoil across the Middle East.

Abdullah played a guiding role in Saudi Arabia's support for the Egyptian government after the military intervened in 2012, and drove his country's support for Syria's rebellion against President Bashar Assad.

King Salman has been crown prince and defense minister since 2012. He was governor of Riyadh province for five decades before that.
By immediately appointing Muqrin as his heir, subject to the approval of a family Allegiance Council, Salman moved to avert widespread speculation about the immediate path of the royal succession in the world's top oil exporter.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team