Sultan, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia

Sultan, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud
سلطان بن عبد العزيز آل سعود
Crown Prince
First Deputy Prime Minister
Minister of Defense
Prince Sultan in December 1990
Full name
Sultan bin Abdul Aziz bin Abdul-Rahman bin Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Saud
House House of Saud
Father King Abdul-Aziz
Mother Princess Hessa Al-Sudairi
Born 30 December 1930(1930-12-30)
Riyadh, Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz
Died 22 October 2011(2011-10-22) (aged 80)
New York City, United States
Burial 25 October 2011
Al-Oud cemetery, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Religion Islam

Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud "Sultan Al-Khair" (Arabic: سلطان بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود‎) ( 30 December 1930[1] – 22 October 2011[2]) was the crown prince of Saudi Arabia at the time of his death. He served as the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense and Aviation. He was one of the Sudairi Seven. Sultan was first in the Saudi line of succession.[3][4]

Contents

Early life and education

Sultan was born in Riyadh. He was the 15th son of King Abdul-Aziz and his mother was Princess Hassa Al-Sudairi (1900–1969).

Sultan, along with many of his brothers, received his early education in religion, modern culture, and diplomacy at the royal court. He became Governor of Riyadh in 1947. In 1947, he oversaw ARAMCO's construction of the Kingdom's rail link between Dammam and Riyadh. He became Minister of Agriculture in 1953 and Minister of Transport in 1955.

Although his direct military experience was brief, heading the Royal Guard in Riyadh in the early 50s, he felt a lifelong connection to the military and the cause of Saudi independence from an early age.[5]

Major General Carl Von Horn, Swedish commander of the U.N. observer mission during the Yemeni civil war, described the Prince as "a volatile and emotional young man" in the early days.[5]

Minister of Defense and Aviation

In 1962, King Faisal appointed Sultan as Minister of Defense and Aviation. He presided over the development of the Saudi armed forces.

Sultan purchased U.S. tanks, fighter planes, missiles and AWACS (airborne warning and control systems). However, as a result of problems assimilating technology within its armed forces, a relatively high proportion of the military equipment is stored or under maintenance, despite a large portion of Saudi's $34 billion defense budget being spent on maintaining military equipment.[6] Sultan allegedly became extraordinarily wealthy from kickbacks by Western businesses that handled multibillion-dollar defense contracts.[7] He was involved in many scandals, including the Al-Yamamah deal.[8] However, his influence remained unhindered until his health began to deteriorate.[8] During his tenure, Saudi Arabia became the largest importer of U.S. arms. He was a strong proponent of U.S.-Saudi partnership.[9]

As well, Sultan authorized a deal with the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) in 1965. His program, called Operation Magic Carpet, traded £16 million for six second-hand Lightnings, six Hawker Hunters, and a set of missile launchers going to Royal Saudi Air Force. Geoffrey Edwards served as the official intermediary. British pilots also came over, privately contracted.[5]

In 1996, Sultan opposed Pentagon plans to relocate U.S. troops to safer locations after the Dhahran complex bombings.[10]

Second Deputy Prime Minister

In 1982, King Fahd appointed Sultan as Second Deputy Prime Minister.

Sultan was an expert on the Yemen civil war and Soviet involvement in the Horn of Africa in 1985.[11]

Sultan had been rumored to have had colon cancer in 2003. A foreign correspondent was forced to leave the country after reporting his health problems.[12]

Crown Prince

Styles of
Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud
Coat of arms of Saudi Arabia.svg
Reference style His Royal Highness[13]
Spoken style Your Royal Highness

On 1 August 2005, Sultan was designated heir apparent despite having a discord with King Abdullah.[14]

A leaked March 2009 diplomatic cable from WikiLeaks stated that U.S. diplomats viewed Sultan as "for all intents and purposes incapacitated".[15] He was possibly suffering dementia, specifically Alzheimer's disease.[16]

Morocco vacation

In February 2009, Sultan underwent surgery in New York. He then convalesced at Agadir, Morocco. He went back to Saudi Arabia, but soon returned to Morocco in August. During his vacation, the Saudi cabinet increased officer salaries, a traditional domain of Sultan.[17][18]

In 2009, King Abdullah took charge of all defense purchases and reduced the power of the Defense Ministry. In October 2010, Abdullah personally conducted much of the negotiations for the U.S. arms package worth over $60 billion.[19]

In November 2010, Sultan received Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri to discuss the future of Lebanon's government.[20] He had been receiving treatment for the previous two years for what analysts and diplomats believed to be cancer.[21] At the end of the month, he returned to Saudi Arabia because King Abdullah left for the United States for surgery.[22] His return was seen as a legal formality necessary under Saudi law, which stipulates that only one of the kingdom's top two officials can be abroad at a given time.[23]

Various positions

Sultan was Saudi Arabia's Inspector General. He was Chairman of the Board of Saudi Arabia's national airline, Saudi Arabian Airlines. As Chairman, he approved a ban on smoking inside all Saudi airports.[24] In 1986, he founded the Saudi National Commission for Wildlife Conservation.[25] He was the founder and patron of the Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz International Prize for Water, a bi-annual international scientific award for water research.[26]

Personal life and beliefs

Sultan had thirty-two children by his multiple wives. His son Prince Khalid was a key Saudi general in the 1991 Gulf War.[5] His son Prince Bandar was Ambassador to the United States from 1983 to 2005. His son Fahd is Deputy President of Sport and Welfare. His other sons are Abdullah, Turki, Meshal and Faisal.


In 2004, Sultan was diagnosed with colon cancer and underwent several corrective surgeries. He underwent an operation to remove an intestinal polyp.[27] In April 2009, he started to suffer from Alzheimer's disease.[28][29] He spent several months in New York City at NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital and underwent surgery. He then convalesced at Agadir, Morocco, and remained abroad most of the time, undergoing medical treatments.[30]

The Prince took a lifetime anti-communist and anti-Soviet view, based on his dislike of Soviet state atheism as well as Soviet interest in Gulf oil and access to ports that he felt risked Saudi independence. He rebuked U.S. President Jimmy Carter for what the Prince saw as "pusillanimity" in the face of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.[5]

Wives

  • Princess Monera bint Abdul-Aziz bin Mousad Al Saud, mother of Prince Khalid (deceased)
  • Princess Huda bint Abdullah Alshaikh
  • Princess Areej bint Salem Al Maree
  • Princess Jowaher bint Mohammed bin Saud bin Nasser Al Farhan Al Saud (divorced)
  • Princess Mouda bint Saud Al Kabeer Al Saud (divorced)
  • Princess Mounira bint Machaal bin Saud Al Rashid (deceased)
  • Princess Leila bint Thanian Al Saud (divorced)
  • Princess Mouda bint Salman Al Mandeel Al Khaldi (divorced)
  • Princess Ghadir bint Shawaan Al Shibani (divorced)
  • Princess Maha bint Abdullah Al Binyan (divorced)
  • Princess Abir bint Fahd Al Faisal Al Farhan Al Saud (divorced)

Death

According to a statement made by the Saudi Royal court on Saturday, 22 October 2011, Sultan died at dawn of an unspecified illness. According to media reports, Sultan had been battling cancer for some[vague] years and had been seeking medical treatment in the United States since June 2011.[31][32] According to unnamed U.S. officials cited by the The New York Times, he died at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan.[33] His funeral was held in Riyadh on 25 October 2011.[31]

References

  1. ^ "Bio of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz". Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C.. http://www.saudiembassy.net/about/country-information/government/sultan.aspx. 
  2. ^ "Officials: Saudi Arabian crown prince dies at New York hospital". CNN. 22 October 2011. http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/22/world/meast/saudi-arabia-prince-dead/. Retrieved 22 October 2011. 
  3. ^ "Next step critical as Saudi princes jostle for position". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 August 2005. http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/next-step-critical-as-saudi-princes-jostle-for-position/2005/08/05/1123125905777.html. 
  4. ^ Bradley, John R. Behind the Veil of Vice: the Business and Culture of Sex in the Middle East New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul-Aziz al Saud". The Daily Telegraph. October 23, 2011. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/politics-obituaries/8844666/Crown-Prince-Sultan-Ibn-Abdul-Aziz-al-Saud.html. Retrieved October 25, 2011. 
  6. ^ "UPI.com homepage". http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2010/10/26/For-Saudis-US-arms-deal-is-a-challenge/UPI-37281288112455/. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 
  7. ^ "The way we live now". The New York Times. 22 December 2002. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/22/magazine/the-way-we-live-now-12-22-02-primer-who-s-who-in-the-house-of-saud.html?pagewanted=2. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 
  8. ^ a b "Saudi king to US for treatment of back ailment". Yahoo! News. 21 Nov. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101121/wl_mideast_afp/saudipoliticsroyalshealth;_ylt=Ak7X8By.biX9Wemgf9e76MgLewgF;_ylu=X3oDMTMwNTk5N3VsBGFzc2V0A2FmcC8yMDEwMTEyMS9zYXVkaXBvbGl0aWNzcm95YWxzaGVhbHRoBHBvcwM2BHNlYwN5bl9wYWdpbmF0ZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA3NhdWRpa2luZ3RvdQ--. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 
  9. ^ Obaid, Nawaf (12 August 2002). "Backlash in Saudi Arabia". The Christian Science Monitor. http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0812/p09s02-coop.html. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 
  10. ^ "Saudi Arabia – Defense Minister opposes U.S. plans to move soldiers". The Vindicator. 15 Jul 1996. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2yBIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KYEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6015,6300009&dq=prince+sultan+minister+of+defense&hl=en. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 
  11. ^ "Confidential (image) -- Briefing for the Prime Minister's meeting with Prince Sultan" (PDF). London: The Guardian. 25 September 1985. Archived from the original on 2011-01-11. http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Politics/documents/2006/10/27/PJ5_39BriefforThatcherSept85.pdf. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 
  12. ^ Henderson, Simon (December 11, 2009). "Saudi Royals Reunited? Crown Prince Sultan Returns Home". The Washington Institute. http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3153. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 
  13. ^ "Council of Ministers: Membership". Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington, DC. http://www.saudiembassy.net/about/Biographies-of-Ministers.aspx. Retrieved 10 June 2011. 
  14. ^ Leyne, Jon. Tensions remain among Saudi royals, BBC News, 1 August 2005. Accessed 7 December 2008.
  15. ^ Fraker (31 March 2009). Scenesetter for Senator Bond's April 6–8 visit to Saudi Arabia. WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks cable:09RIYADH496. Archived from the original on 11 January 2011. http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2009/03/09RIYADH496.html. Retrieved 11 January 2011. 
  16. ^ http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3289
  17. ^ Reuters (27 October 2010). "Saudi crown prince in good health, on holiday". Khaleej Times. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/October/middleeast_October446.xml&section=middleeast&col=. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 
  18. ^ Asma Alsharif (21 Nov). "Saudi king to seek medical treatment in U.S.". Reuters. Yahoo! News. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101121/wl_nm/us_saudi_king. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 
  19. ^ "For Saudis, U.S. Arms Deal Is A Challenge". NewsDesk – iWireNews ™ (iWireNews ™ and OfficialWire). 26 October 2010. http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=245784&catid=855. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 
  20. ^ "Sultan receives Hariri in Agadir". Arab News. 4 November 2010. http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article179739.ece. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 
  21. ^ "Saudi king to US for treatment of back ailment". Yahoo! News. 21 November. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101121/wl_mideast_afp/saudipoliticsroyalshealth;_ylt=Ak7X8By.biX9Wemgf9e76MgLewgF;_ylu=X3oDMTMwNTk5N3VsBGFzc2V0A2FmcC8yMDEwMTEyMS9zYXVkaXBvbGl0aWNzcm95YWxzaGVhbHRoBHBvcwM2BHNlYwN5bl9wYWdpbmF0ZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA3NhdWRpa2luZ3RvdQ--. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 
  22. ^ Asma Alsharif (21 November). "Saudi king to seek medical treatment in U.S.". Yahoo! News. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101121/wl_nm/us_saudi_king. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 
  23. ^ Summer Said and Margaret Coker (22 November 2010). "Saudi King to Seek Medical Care in U.S.". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703567304575628223064983984.html. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 
  24. ^ Fatima Sidiya (19 October 2010). "Kingdom bans smoking at airports". Arab News. http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article164086.ece. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 
  25. ^ Butt, Gerald (3 June 2004). "Profile: Saudi Prince Sultan". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3766919.stm. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 
  26. ^ "About the Prize". psipw.org. http://www.psipw.org/about.html. Retrieved 31 December 2008. 
  27. ^ P.K. Abdul Ghafour (22 May 2004). "Prince Sultan Leaves Hospital". Arab News. http://archive.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=45450&d=22&m=5&y=2004. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 
  28. ^ "Crown Prince Sultan Suffers from Alzheimers". Arabia Today. 1 February 2011. http://arabia2day.com/featured/crown-prince-sultan-suffers-from-alzheimers/. Retrieved 18 October 2011. 
  29. ^ "The royal house is rattled too". The Economist. 3 March 2011. http://www.economist.com/node/18291511. Retrieved 18 October 2011. 
  30. ^ Reuters (27 October 2010). "Saudi crown prince in good health, on holiday". Khaleej Times. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/October/middleeast_October446.xml&section=middleeast&col. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 
  31. ^ a b McDowall, Angus. "Saudi Crown Prince dies: royal court". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/22/us-saudi-arabia-sultan-idUSTRE79L0DL20111022. Retrieved 22 October 2011. 
  32. ^ "BBC News - Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Sultan dies". BBC. 22 October 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15413275. Retrieved 22 October 2011. 
  33. ^ MacFarquhar, Neil (2011-10-22). "Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz of Saudi Arabia Dies". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/world/middleeast/prince-sultan-bin-abdel-aziz-of-saudi-arabia-dies.html. Retrieved 2011-10-24. 

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