Headlines
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the new Saudi king
Riyadh, Jan 23 (IANS) Saudi Arabia's former Crown
Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Friday took the pledge of allegiance
as the new king following the death of King Abdullah, the ruler of the
world's largest oil exporter for nearly a decade.
Within hours
of his accession to the throne, the 79-year-old Salman, who is
half-brother of King Abdullah, vowed to maintain the same policies as
his predecessor's.
"We will continue adhering to the correct
policies which Saudi Arabia has followed since its establishment," BBC
quoted him as saying in a speech broadcast on state television.
King
Salman comes from an influential faction within the royal family
comprising sons and grandsons of the late King Abdulaziz by a favourite
wife, Princess Hassa al-Sudairi, the report added.
Born December
1935, Salman is the 25th son of the Saudi kingdom's founder Abdulaziz
Al Saud who conquered his rivals and welded disparate regions of the
Arabian Peninsula into a kingdom in 1932, Xinhua reported.
For
nearly five decades, Salman served as governor of Riyadh province. Since
2011, he was minister of defence following the death of his brother
Prince Sultan.
In 2012, Salman was appointed the crown prince
following the death of Saudi Arabia's heir apparent and interior
minister Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Since becoming heir
to the throne, Salman, who also served as interior minister, has been
presiding over cabinet meetings for several months and undertook a
series of visits to the western and Asian countries.
King Salman
had recently taken on the ailing monarch's responsibilities after
Abdullah suffered frequent bouts of ill-health in recent years.
In
his maiden speech, King Salman said: "With hearts believing in Allah's
pre-destination, and filled with sadness and grief, I extend condolences
to the loyal Saudi people and the Arab and Islamic nation...on the
death of the late dear of the nation Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who passed away after he spent his
life seeking his God's obedience, bolstering his religion and then
serving his nation and people and defending the causes of the Arab and
Islamic nations," Saudi Press Agency reported.
"We ask Allah to
bestow His mercy and peace on him and reward him with best rewards for
his outstanding work in the service of his religion and then homeland
and nation," King Salman added.