The Nation Newspaper

Tag: King Salman

  • Khashoggi: ‘Saudi team must have acted on orders’

    A 15-man Saudi team that flew to Turkey before the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the slain Saudi journalist, must have been acting on orders, not necessarily from King Salman, Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said.

    Cavusoglu, however, said that it was Saudi Arabia’s responsibility to tell Turkey what happened to Khashoggi’s body.

    Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist critical of the Saudi Government and its de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, disappeared at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

    Saudi officials initially insisted that Khashoggi had left the consulate, then said he died in an unplanned “rogue operation”.

    The kingdom’s public prosecutor, Saud al-Mojeb, later said that the journalist was killed in a premeditated attack.

    Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan, had repeatedly demanded for more information from Saudi Arabia.

    He asked Saudi officials to explain who in Riyadh sent the 15-man team suspected of involvement in the killing.

    Erdogan said “the 15-man team did not come to Turkey on their own, they came on orders.

    “Without due orders and permissions, 15 people cannot come from Saudi Arabia to kill their own citizen.”

    Cavusoglu said Erdogan had spoken to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman twice after the killing, and that he was sure the king would not give orders to kill someone.

    Turkish and Saudi officials had carried out joint inspection of the consulate and consul’s residence.

    Erdogan said some Saudi officials were still trying to cover up the crime.

    Ankara had demanded Riyadh to cooperate in finding Khashoggi’s body, which Istanbul’s chief prosecutor said had been dismembered.

    “I think it is Saudi Arabia’s responsibility to find out what happened to Khashoggi’s body and inform us about it, as the 15-man team is still in Saudi Arabia,” Cavusoglu said.

    Saudi Arabia has so far detained 18 people and dismissed five senior government officials as part of an investigation into Khashoggi’s death.

  • Saudi to lift driving ban on women

    Saudi to lift driving ban on women

    Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has issued a decree allowing women to drive for the first time, to the joy of activists.

    The Gulf kingdom is the only country in the world that bans women from driving, the BBC reports.

    Until now, only men were allowed licences and women who drove in public risked being arrested and fined.

    Praise for the move has been pouring in from inside the Saudi kingdom, as well as around the world.

    United States President, Donald Trump, said it was a “positive step” towards promoting women’s rights.

    Campaigner Sahar Nassif told the BBC from Jeddah that she was “very, very excited – jumping up and down and laughing.”

    “I’m going to buy my dream car, a convertible Mustang, and it’s going to be black and yellow!”

    The country’s U.S ambassador, Prince Khaled bin Salman, confirmed that women would not have to get male permission to take driving lessons, and would be able to drive anywhere they liked.

    He said it was “an historic and big day” and “the right decision at the right time.”

  • Saudi King appoints son as Crown Prince

    Saudi King appoints son as Crown Prince

    Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Wednesday made his son his successor, removing his nephew as crown prince.

    King Salman has given the 31-year -old almost unprecedented powers as the world’s leading oil exporter implements transformational reforms.

    A royal decree appointed Mohammed bin Salman crown prince and deputy prime minister.

    He retains defence, oil and other portfolios.

    Reports said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, a counter-terrorism chief admired in Washington for putting down an al Qaeda campaign of bombings in 2003-06, was relieved of all positions.

    Although Mohammed bin Salman’s promotion was expected among close circles,  it came as a surprise at a time the kingdom is facing heightened tensions with Qatar and Iran and is locked in war with Yemen.

    The royal decree said the decision by King Salman to promote his son and consolidate his power was endorsed by 31 out of 34 members of the Allegiance Council, made up of senior members of the ruling Al Saud family.

     

  • Saudi Arabia’s King Salman makes son his successor

    Saudi Arabia’s King Salman makes son his successor

    Saudi Arabia’s King Salman made his son his successor on Wednesday, removing his nephew as crown prince.

    By this, King Salman has given the 31-year old almost unprecedented powers as the world’s leading oil exporter implements transformational reforms.

    A royal decree appointed Mohammed bin Salman crown prince and deputy prime minister.

    He retains defence, oil and other portfolios.

    It said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, a counter-terrorism chief admired in Washington for putting down an al Qaeda campaign of bombings in 2003-06, was relieved of all positions.

    Although Mohammed bin Salman’s promotion was expected among close circles it came as a surprise at a time the kingdom is facing heightened tensions with Qatar and Iran and is locked in a war in Yemen.

    The royal decree said the decision by King Salman to promote his son and consolidate his power was endorsed by 31 out of 34 members of the Allegiance Council, made up of senior members of the ruling Al Saud family.

    Always intent on dispelling speculation of internal divisions in the Al Saud ruling dynasty, Saudi television was quick to show that the change in succession was amicable and supported by the family.

    Throughout the early morning it aired footage of Mohammed bin Nayef pledging allegiance to the younger Mohammed bin Salman who knelt and kissed his older cousin’s hand.

    “I am content,” Prince Mohammed bin Nayef said. Prince Mohammed bin Salman replied: “We will not give up taking your guidance and advice.”

    Analysts said the change ends uncertainty over succession and empowers Prince Mohammed bin Salman to move faster with his plan to reduce the kingdom’s dependence on oil, which includes the partial privatisation of state oil company Aramco.

    “The change is a huge boost to the economic reform program…Prince Mohammed bin Salman is its architect,” said John Sfakianakis, director of the Riyadh-based Gulf Research Center.

    Bernard Haykel, professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton, said the king’s decision was aimed at avoiding a power struggle between his son and Mohammed bin Nayef by setting the line of succession clearly.

    “It’s clearly a transition that has happened smoothly and bloodlessly. Now it’s clear, it’s straightforward. That kind of clarity lowers the risk, there’s no question as to who’s going to be in charge.”

    “Some people were predicting that this would lead to a division in the family and strife and some kind of revolt. I don’t see that happening.”

    A senior Saudi official said the decision was taken due to what he called special circumstances presented to the members of the Allegiance Council.

    He added that Mohammed bin Nayef supported the decision in a letter sent to the king.

    The royal decree did not nominate a new deputy crown prince. The position is relatively new in Saudi Arabia where a king has traditionally chosen his own successor.

    As deputy crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman has been responsible for running Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, dictating an energy policy with global implications and spearheading plans for the kingdom to build an economic future after oil.

    That the royal succession in the world’s top oil exporter is closely scrutinized only makes the rapidity of Mohammed bin Salman’s rise to power, and the speed with which his better known cousins were brushed aside, more astonishing.

    The announcement follows two and a half years of already major changes in Saudi Arabia, which stunned allies in 2015 by launching an air war in Yemen, cutting back on lavish subsidies and proposing in 2016 the partial privatisation of state oil company Aramco.

    Financial analysts said Prince Mohammed’s promotion gave further assurance that key parts of radical reforms to diversify the Saudi economy beyond oil would continue.

    “We do not expect to see any major changes to key areas of policy, including economic,” said Monica Malik, chief economist at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank.

    In 2016 Mohammed bin Salman, or “MBS” as he is widely known, announced sweeping changes aimed at ending the kingdom’s reliance to oil, part of his campaign to tackle systemic challenges that the kingdom has previously failed to address.