World leaders are heading to Saudi Arabia to pay their respects in person after the death on Friday of King Abdullah.
British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President
Francois Hollande will be in Riyadh. The US delegation is led by
Vice-President Joe Biden.
King Abdullah died aged 90. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Riyadh after Friday prayers.
King Salman, 79, pledged continuity after his accession to the throne.
He also moved swiftly to appoint heirs and ministers, including one prince from the ruling dynasty's third generation.
On Saturday, Mr Cameron, Mr Hollande and Mr Biden will take part in official ceremonies in the Saudi capital.
Iran will be represented by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Why Saudi matters - in 90 seconds
These visitors will be looking to take the measure of the
character, mood and intentions of the new monarch, BBC Arab Affairs
editor Alan Johnston reports.
King Abdullah died on Friday, weeks after being admitted to hospital with a lung infection, and he was buried later that day.
US President Barack Obama paid tribute to Abdullah as a leader who "was always candid and had the courage of his convictions".
Mr Obama is shortening his three-day trip to India - dropping
a visit to the Taj Mahal - and will now fly to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday
to meet the new king.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised Abdullah's work "to promote dialogue among the world's faiths".
However, human rights groups said Saudi Arabia's human rights
record had been dismal under Abdullah and urged Salman to do more to
protect freedom of speech and women's rights.
Amnesty International spokesman Neil Durkin described
Abdullah's human rights legacy as "disastrous", saying that "endemic
torture in police cells and in prisons" remained.
New appointments
Within hours of acceding to the throne, King Salman vowed to maintain the same policies as his predecessors.
"We will continue adhering to the correct policies which Saudi Arabia has followed since its establishment," he said.
He named another of King Abdullah's half-brothers, Muqrin, as the new crown prince.
Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef was appointed
deputy crown prince, making him second in line to the throne and in
effect smoothing the line of succession for years to come.
Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed is a grandson of King Abdulaziz,
usually referred to as Ibn Saud, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia.
The crown has so far passed between Ibn Saud's sons, but few are still
alive.
King Abdullah came to the throne in 2005 but had already been
Saudi Arabia's de-facto leader for 10 years because his predecessor,
King Fahd, had been debilitated by a stroke.
Abdullah had suffered frequent bouts of ill health in recent
years, and King Salman had recently taken on the ailing monarch's
responsibilities.
Analysis: Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent
In Saudi terms, King Abdullah was a reformer, making princes
pay their phone bills and giving women their first ever seats in the
high-level consultative council. The new King Salman, a staunch
conservative, has put paid to any thoughts of radical reforms on his
watch with his first speech as monarch.
Saudi Arabia faces a number of challenges. The first is
ensuring the succession passes smoothly. Then there is the ongoing
threat from jihadists, both at home and across its borders - Saudi
Arabia is sandwiched between the Islamic State (IS) group to the north
and al-Qaeda in Yemen to the south.
The government has yet to find a way to cope with mild calls
for reforms, and is abusing anti-terror laws to silence reformers and
punish its critics.
Longer term, it faces a growing unemployment problem. About
half the population is under 25 and there are not enough meaningful jobs
for young Saudis.
But the country does at least have oil in its favour. Saudi
Arabia is one of the very few exporting countries to still make big
margins on production and exploration - putting it in a powerful
position on the world stage.
No comments:
Post a Comment