David Cameron 'saddened' by Saudi king Abdullah's death

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/23/david-cameron-saddened-by-saudi-king-abdullahs-death

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David Cameron has expressed his sadness at the death of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, and paid tribute to his work for peace in the region.

The king died on Thursday aged 90, and his successor is to be his 79-year-old half-brother, Prince Salman.

Cameron, who visited Saudi Arabia in 2012, said: “I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of the custodian of the two holy mosques, His Majesty King Abdullah bin Abd Al Aziz Al Saud.

“He will be remembered for his long years of service to the kingdom, for his commitment to peace and for strengthening understanding between faiths.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the Saudi royal family and the people of the kingdom at this sad time.

“I sincerely hope that the long and deep ties between our two kingdoms will continue and that we can continue to work together to strengthen peace and prosperity in the world.”

Cameron’s meeting with the king three years ago was a visit intended “to broaden and deepen the UK-Saudi partnership on issues from social development to security to business relations”.

The prime minister spoke with the king in a telephone call last year on issues including the threat from Isis. He thanked the king for a “significant” donation to the humanitarian appeal in Iraq.

King Abdullah was also considered a strong US ally and, following his death, President Barack Obama praised him for taking “bold steps” to help with the Arab Peace Initiative.

Obama said he “valued King Abdullah’s perspective and appreciated our genuine and warm friendship”.

The king was born in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh in 1924, and became crown prince in 1982, before ascending to the throne in 2005.