Next Saudi heir may support reforms

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, left, reviews with Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdul Aziz. Photo / AP

The death of the hardline heir to the Saudi Arabian throne could mean more rapid reform in the Islamic kingdom.

Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud, has died just eight months after becoming heir to 89-year-old King Abdullah. State TV said Nayef died in Geneva, where he had been receiving treatment for an unknown illness.

The 78-year-old, who also headed the Interior Ministry, was known as a reactionary whose views on issues such as women driving differed from those of the King.

His death underlines the age of the senior office-holders in the royal family, all of whom are sons of Abdul-Aziz Ibn Saud, who founded the desert kingdom in 1932.

Defence Minister Prince Salman, 76, has long been regarded as the next most senior prince after Nayef. He is seen as a supporter of King Abdullah's cautious reforms.

However, Nayef remained hugely influential and enjoyed a lot of support among the powerful clerical establishment.

He oversaw the feared religious police and developed a security apparatus that contributed to the failure of militant Islamic groups such as al-Qaeda to capitalise on early successes in Saudi Arabia after the 2001 war in Afghanistan. But he was criticised for imprisoning human rights activists and political campaigners.

As revolts last year rocked the kingdom's neighbours, King Abdullah ordered a package of pay rises, subsidies, housing grants and job creation schemes. Nevertheless, social and economic problems remain.

The King, who has pushed planners to prepare for a time when the state can no longer rely solely on oil for revenue, enjoys a degree of popularity that few senior Saudi royals can match.Observer