Monday, Jan 16, 2006
Born in 1930, Shaikh Sa'ad Al Abdullah Al Sabah was the eldest son of late Shaikh Abdullah Al Salem Al Sabah, the 11th emir of Kuwait, known as the father of independence and the constitution.
He was educated in Kuwait, and later joined the Handen Police College in England, where he attended specialised courses in police and security affairs till 1954.
He held various posts in Kuwaiti police and public security until 1959, when he was appointed Deputy Director of Police and Public Security Department; he held this position until 1961. On January 17, 1962, Shaikh Sa'ad was appointed Minister of Interior in the first Kuwaiti cabinet. In 1964, he was given additional charge of Defence.
On January 31, 1978, the Emir appointed Shaikh Sa'ad as the Crown Prince of Kuwait. On February 8, 1978, Shaikh Sa'ad was also appointed Prime Minister. From February 1978 - July 2003, Shaikh Sa'ad was Prime Minister of Kuwait and led the Kuwaiti cabinet in succession.
Shaikh Sa'ad took the throne in Kuwait following yesterday's death of the emir. " He is a populist seen as a liberation hero after the Iraqi invasion but is now suffering ill-health," said one of the press reports.
His return to Kuwait in March 1991, one week after the country was liberated from Iraqi occupation by a multinational force led by the United States, was another high point in his career.
He was the first high-ranking member of the ruling family to return home and as he left the plane he knelt in prayer as a huge crowd cheered. Shaikh Sa'ad is from the Al Salem branch of the ruling Al Sabah family, which by tradition alternates the position of head of state in the nation with the Al Jaber branch, represented by the late emir.
Married to his immediate cousin Shaikha Latifa, he has one son, Fahd, and three daughters. Two other daughters have died.
Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah was born in 1929 and was the fourth son of a former emir of Kuwait Shaikh Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah.
He held the post of Minister for Guidance and Information in 1962. He became the Foreign Minister on January 28, 1963.
From December 4, 1965 till February 4, 1967 he was the Minister for Finance and Acting Minister for Oil.
He also became the First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister on October 18, 1998 and worked as Acting Minister for Information from February 2, 1971 until February 3, 1975 in addition to being the Foreign Minister.
Shaikh Sabah, 74, stands out among individuals who worked hard to create a place for Kuwait in history, and was eventually honoured with the title 'The Dean of Arab and International Diplomats'.
"Shaikh Sabah is one of the main pillars of the country's leadership, and has made up the third part of the nation's leadership for years. Known for his smile, which shines optimistically even through times of hardship and crisis, Shaikh Sabah, is a well-established politician in Kuwait, regionally and internationally," said an official Kuwaiti website.
He has been able to successfully coordinate Kuwait's foreign policy. He is widely regarded as a pro-liberal who favours privatisation, globalisation and enhanced Kuwaiti-Arab relations.
Kuwait's Prime Minister is also well-known as an avid reader.
Shaikh Sabah has two sons. He had one daughter who died in 2002. His elder son Shaikh Nasser is a top advisor to the crown prince while his other son Shaikh Hamad is a businessman.
Gulf News 2006. All rights reserved.
