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Jun 16 2012

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WSJ 2nd UPDATE: Saudi Crown Prince Nayef Dead

   By Ellen Knickmeyer 

Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud, the 76-year-old defense minister, was widely expected to secure appointment in coming days as the new heir to the Saudi throne, experts and ordinary Saudis said.

Prince Salman, while considered somewhat more liberal than his brother Prince Nayef, "represents continuity both domestically and in terms of Saudi foreign policy," said F. Gregory Gause, a University of Vermont instructor and longtime Saudi scholar. "I do not think the death of Prince Nayef presents major issues," Mr. Gause said, in terms of the kingdom's typically cautious, security-centered policies.

(This story and related background material will be available on The Wall Street Journal website, WSJ.com.)

Eight decades after King Abdulaziz founded the kingdom, "All this first generation are finishing," Mr. Lacroix said. "All these big names are almost gone, so you have to make a plan" in terms of passing power on to lesser-known siblings or to the next generation of Saudi royals.

Since the death of King Abdulaziz, who had several wives, the succession has passed from brother to brother, without skipping to the next generation.

Crown Prince Nayef was about 79, although his exact birthdate wasn't recorded. He died outside the country, state media said Saturday. It gave no immediate details of his death.

The crown prince had traveled to Switzerland in late May for what authorities said was official and medical reasons, after an extended stay at the Cleveland Clinic in the U.S. earlier in the year.

He was said to have suffered from a number of health problems, though their exact nature was never officially confirmed.

Saudi King Abdullah, who is in his late 80s, issued a statement Saturday imploring God "to reward [Nayef] for what he has done for his religion and his country."

Nayef succeeded Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as heir to the thone in October 2011.

Crown Prince Nayef, who was considered closest of his brothers to the country's religious conservatives, would be mourned with religious services Sunday in the Islamic holy city of Mecca, state media said.

The ruling Saudi family, like the government overall, follows the austere Wahhabi branch of Islam. It typically buries its members in the desert, without fanfare.

A family allegiance council with about three dozen people representing major branches of the al Saud family was expected to meet soon to formally nominate the next crown prince.

King Abdullah created the allegiance council, a move toward formalizing the routine for designating the next heir, after he acceded to the throne in 2005.

Crown Prince Nayef had been minister of interior since the 1970s. He helped shape the ministry's counterterror program and the crackdown on al Qaeda, both moves that won him praise from the West.

President Barack Obama, in a statement, offered the U.S.'s condolences and said that under Prince Nayef's leadership, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia "developed a storng and effective partnership in the fight against terrorism."

Crown Prince Nayef's son Prince Mohammed bin Nayef already helps preside over day-to-day operations at the ministry, and experts said they expected the son to continue to play a prominent role in counterterror operations.

Deputy Interior Minister Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a full brother of Nayef, also may play a continuing role at the ministry, analysts said.

Crown Prince Nayef also was seen by Saudis and outsiders as being one of the toughest of the leading royals on political dissent, including by the country's Shiite Muslim minority.

Write to Ellen Knickmeyer at ellen.knickmeyer@dowjones.com

--Leila Hatoum contributed to this article

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

16-06-12 1900GMT

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