Saudi Arabia Names New Crown Prince

Saudi Arabia named Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz al Saud as the new heir to the throne after Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz passed away last week. The new crown prince, aged 78, has served as the nation’s interior minister since 1975. The royal court statement released on state television on Friday stated “the crown prince had been appointed after the king met the Allegiance Council, a family body set up in 2006 to make the process of succession in the conservative Islamic kingdom more orderly.”

In his first remarks on state television, Nayef said “Let’s take the reality, we are living in such conditions in the region where there is turbulence from all sides,” and “With (King Abdullah’s) leadership and his people’s trust he can keep the kingdom stable and secure in all its affairs. Nayef who controlled the nation’s security forces, is seen by many to have a close relationship to ultraconservative Islamic community in Saudi.