Power struggle clouds Saudi Kingdom

Tue Nov 16, 2010

The Illness of 86-year-old King Abdullah has fueled speculations over the potential successor to the Saudi Arabia's monarch.

The royal court announced that King Abdullah is suffering from a herniated disc.

"Doctors have advised him to rest as part of his therapy," a brief statement carried by the official SPA news agency said on Friday.

The ailing king has curtailed his activities since June. The illness also forced the monarch to miss his cabinet meeting last week.

Many analysts are speculating a major power struggle for the crown as all potential candidates are people of age.

The king's 76-year-old half-brother and also second deputy minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, who chaired last week's cabinet gathering, underwent unspecified medical treatment last year. Nayef has been interior minister for 35 years.

The prince's full brother, 85-year-old Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, the first man in line for the succession, also battled cancer in a US hospital last year.

In an interview with Press TV on Tuesday, Director of IGA in Washington Ali al-Ahmed confirmed the situation, saying that the son of interior minister Mohammed bin Nayef is one possible candidate for the role.

"The sons of King Abdullah are playing increasing roles into the power struggle," he noted.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/151295.html.