Saturday, Oct 22, 2011

(Adds statement from royal court, details on change in succession.) 


 
   By Summer Said 
   Of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, died in New York after a long battle with cancer, the Saudi royal court said in a statement.

Crown Prince Sultan, who also served as defense minister as well as being second in line to the throne, went to the U.S. in June for medical tests. He was believed to be 86 and will be buried Tuesday.

Although Sultan was long seen as a likely future king, his health had deteriorated sharply in recent years, leading to long periods of absence from Saudi Arabia for an illness that analysts believed was cancer.

Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a brother who is thought to be 77, is seen as Sultan's most likely successor as crown prince, putting him next in line to King Abdullah.

"King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz mourns the death of his brother and his Crown Prince Sultan who died at dawn this morning Saturday outside the kingdom following an illness," the royal court said in a statement released a few hours later in Riyadh.

King Abdullah, who also has health issues, underwent a back operation last week, the third in less than a year, to retighten the binding connector around the third vertebra in the back. It is still unclear how long the king will take to recover, or when he is expected to leave the hospital.

Limited information about the king's ailment has previously fanned speculation of a more serious problem with the health of the ruler of the Arab world's largest economy.

In order for Prince Nayef to become the crown prince, a special committee set up by the royal family five years ago to regulate the kingdom's opaque process of succession will have to reach an agreement on his elevation.

The so-called Allegiance Council, representing every branch of the dynasty founded by King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud last century, has never been tested before. It must now meet to approve King Abdullah's nomination of a new crown prince, setting the direction of the country for years to come.

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

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

22-10-11 0539GMT