Saudi deputy defence minister Prince Khalid Bin Sultan replaced

[Al Bhatti]

April 20, 2013

Saudi deputy defence minister Prince Khalid Bin Sultan replaced

Top royal job changes can point to Saudi succession plans

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz has removed veteran deputy defence minister Prince Khalid Bin Sultan from his post, state media reported on Saturday, the latest move in a reshuffle among princes holding government jobs in the kingdom.

Switches of important posts between princes are closely watched because they indicate possible changes in the line of succession in the monarchy, the dominant power among Gulf Arab states and the world’s biggest oil exporter.

Prince Khalid was head of the Saudi armed forces during the 1991 Gulf War but was passed over for the job in 2011 after the death of his father, Crown Prince Sultan, who had held the position for five decades.

He has been replaced as deputy defence minister by Prince Fahd Bin Abdullah Bin Mohammad Bin Abdul Rahman, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported, citing a royal decree. Prince Fahd is a former head of the Saudi navy.

SPA did not give a reason for the switch.

The Defence Minister is Crown Prince Salman, King Abdullah’s named successor. He oversees multi-billion-dollar arms purchases that cement Saudi Arabia’s alliances with Western nations.

Unlike in European monarchies, the Saudi ruling family succession does not move from father to eldest son but along a line of brothers born to the kingdom’s founder, and is based on seniority, experience, temperament and position in the family.

It is not clear who will rule after King Abdullah and Crown Prince Salman, but the succession hopes of Prince Muqrin, the youngest of the brothers, were boosted when he was appointed second deputy prime minister earlier this year.

In the past year, grandsons have been appointed to senior positions, including Prince Mohammad Bin Nayef as Interior Minister, Prince Saud Bin Nayef as Eastern Province Governor and Prince Khalid Bin Bandar as Riyadh governor.

Speaking on Friday before a trip this month to the region by US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel, Washington defence officials said the United States was finalising a $10 billion (Dh35.71 billion) arms deal involving Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Saudi Arabia is expected to buy unspecified long-range weapons that could be used on 84 Boeing F-15s that Saudi Arabia is buying under a separate arms deal first announced in 2010.

Hagel’s first trip to the Middle East since taking office in February includes plans to visit Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE, and he was expected to continue discussions about the arms sale at stops along the way.

Saudi deputy defence minister Prince Khalid Bin Sultan replaced | GulfNews.com

 

[Al Bhatti]

April 20, 2013

(FILE) A picture taken on March 22, 2007 shows Saudi Arabia Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz during an Arabian horse show in Riyadh. Prince Khaled bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz who played a key role in the 1991 Gulf War over Kuwait, has been dismissed, state news agency SPA reported on April 20, 2013.

No possible change seen in Saudi succession line

That mechanism almost secure after defence minister was appointed Crown Prince

The Saudi monarch’s decision to replace the veteran deputy defence minister Prince Khalid Bin Sultan with Prince Fahd Bin Abdullah Bin Mohammad Bin Abdul Rahman did not indicate a possible change in the line of succession.

That mechanism was more or less secure after Defence Minister Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz was appointed Crown Prince on June 18, 2012, followed by the designation of Prince Muqrin Bin Abdul Aziz as the second deputy prime minister on February 1.

Speculation that the King reshuffled the decks was facile, especially as Prince Khalid was not considered a leading candidate to either post. Moreover, it was important to note that Prince Khalid was passed over for the job of Defence Minister in 2011 after the death of his father, then Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz.

Rather, and because of his very close work within the Saudi armed forces during and since the 1991 War for Kuwait, chances were excellent that the monarch was dissatisfied with specific military policies, on at least three counts: Prince Khalid’s record in the 2009 War with the Al Houthis along the Yemen borders that resulted in over 130 Saudi casualties, the recent Asian tour that probably involved additional defence purchases from China, and the decision to ink a multi-billion arms deal for 84 Boeing F-15s that Saudi Arabia purchased in 2010.

Various reports revealed that Prince Khalid’s leadership did not please the monarch over the long duration of the conflict as well as the large number of casualties in the Yemen crisis. Moreover, the king was also concerned that recent military purchases presented substantial expenditures, and may have caused the monarch to wonder whether such financial spending was warranted at a time when Saudi Arabia was anxious to meet domestic requirements.

Naturally, the government shuffle could have less sinister aspects, following recent major changes in senior positions, including the elevation of Prince Mohammad Bin Nayef to the critical position of Interior Minister, that of Prince Saud Bin Nayef as Eastern Province Governor, Prince Khalid Bin Bandar as Riyadh governor, and Prince Faisal Bin Salman as Governor of Madinah. By ordering such changes, the King affirmed his will to power, and introduced needed changes that he deemed where in the best interests of the country.

No possible change seen in Saudi succession line | GulfNews.com