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Leaders Converge on Saudi Arabia for King Abdullah’s Funeral New Saudi Ruler Pledges Continuity After Death of King Abdullah
(16 minutes later)
Leaders from the Muslim world converged on Friday in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, for the funeral of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who steered his deeply conservative land through the turmoil of the Arab Spring and who was caught up the region’s seething rivalries before his death early Friday at 90. Hours after the death of Saudi Arabia’s ruler, his successor, King Salman, moved quickly on Friday to project a sense of continuity, saying in a televised address that the oil-rich nation, a Western ally that has long played a dominant role in Arab politics, would not change course.
With events in Saudi Arabia under close scrutiny — not least from Iran, Saudi Arabia’s keenest rival — leaders including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, who was touring African countries, shifted their schedules to attend what news reports said would be a simple and traditional burial. “We will continue adhering to the correct policies which Saudi Arabia has followed since its establishment,” The Associated Press quoted Salman, who had been the crown prince, as saying.
King Abdullah II of Jordan canceled a planned appearance at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Reuters reported, where he was scheduled to lead a debate on Middle East security — an issue that consumed many in the wake of Abdullah’s death. Seeking to assure continuity, Saudi leaders said in an official announcement that the king’s brother, Crown Prince Salman, had assumed the throne. He was speaking as leaders from the Muslim world converged in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, for the funeral of his brother and predecessor, King Abdullah. Abdullah steered his deeply conservative land through the turmoil of the Arab Spring and was caught up in the region’s seething rivalries before his death early Friday at 90.
Abdullah’s death had an immediate economic effect, too, with oil prices, in decline for months, rising in a reflection of concern about what the king’s death will mean for Saudi Arabia’s oil production policies. In his address, Salman also seemed to acknowledge the tensions that have gripped the region, playing out in Syria’s civil war and the consequent rise of the militant group Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL.
“The Arab and the Islamic nations are in dire need for solidarity and cohesion,” the king said, according to The A.P.
The comments came just one day after the American-backed government of neighboring Yemen abruptly collapsed, leaving the country leaderless in the face of an increasingly powerful force of pro-Iranian rebels and a resurgent Qaeda affiliate.
With events in Saudi Arabia under close scrutiny — not least from Iran, Saudi Arabia’s greatest rival — leaders including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, who was touring African countries, shifted their schedules to attend what news reports said would be a simple and traditional burial.
King Abdullah II of Jordan canceled a planned appearance at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Reuters reported, where he was scheduled to lead a debate on Middle East security — an issue of great concern in the wake of Abdullah’s death. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt was also among the Muslim leaders and heads of state expected to attend.
In an official announcement, Saudi leaders said they had decided to appoint Salman as the new leader, apparently in an effort to assure continuity.
Abdullah’s death had an immediate economic effect, too, on oil prices, which had been in decline for months but rose in a reflection of concern about what the king’s death will mean for Saudi Arabia’s oil production policies.
The royal court in Saudi Arabia did not disclose the exact cause of death, which came weeks after the monarch was admitted to a Riyadh hospital on Dec. 31 with what the official Saudi Press Agency said was a lung infection.The royal court in Saudi Arabia did not disclose the exact cause of death, which came weeks after the monarch was admitted to a Riyadh hospital on Dec. 31 with what the official Saudi Press Agency said was a lung infection.
Reuters said the king’s body, wrapped in white, would be buried in an unmarked grave after resting in a mosque, where prayers would be led by the newly announced King Salman in the presence of Muslim leaders and heads of state including President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt. Reuters said the king’s body, wrapped in white, would be buried in an unmarked grave after resting in a mosque, where prayers would be led by Salman.
Among Western allies, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said that he would lead an American delegation, “to pay our respects and offer condolences.”