Saudi Arabia: Rumors of King Fahd's Death
May 03, 2005 17 04 GMT
Summary
Rumors that have been circulating in Kuwait about the death of ailing
Saudi monarch King Fahd bin Abdel-Aziz al Saud grew louder May 3. Given
that he did not chair the May 2 Cabinet meeting, but that his immediate
younger (full) brother, Defense Minister Prince Sultan, is traveling,
the king probably is seriously ill but not yet dead. Though Crown
Prince Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz al Saud has been the de facto ruler
since Fahd fell ill almost a decade ago, even unconfirmed reports of
the king's death can have an unsettling effect on the region and
beyond.
Analysis
King Fahd bin Abdel-Aziz al Saud -- Saudi Arabia's ailing monarch --
might have died, according to unconfirmed rumors floating in Kuwait on
May 3.
The ailing King Fahd did not chair the May 2 Cabinet meeting --
although he reportedly did chair the meeting a week earlier. The king's
immediate younger brother, Prince Sultan, who is second deputy prime
minister as well as defense minister, presided over the May 2 meeting.
Considering that Sultan departed May 3 for a tour of the Hail region
and that de facto Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz al Saud is
scheduled to tour the Middle East, it is unlikely that Fahd has passed
away, though sources close to his medical team say the king is quite
ill.
Even rumors of King Fahd's death spread jitters across the geopolitical
landscape of both the Middle East and the West. The monarch's eventual
death, when it occurs, could further exacerbate high oil process and
cause a certain amount of instability within the kingdom.
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