Prince Saud al-Faisal dies | Front Page

He did not elaborate on the cause of death.

Prince Saud, who was 75, was the world’s longest serving foreign minister when replaced on April 29 by Adel al-Jubeir, the then-ambassador to Washington. He served under four kings and was considered the be well-liked and respected within diplomatic circles, Al Jazeera reported.

Prince Saud was appointed as FM in 1975, making him the world’s longest serving foreign minister.

“All the neighbourhood, if you will, will be at peace with Israel, will recognise their right to exist”.

Saudi Arabia has been deepening ties with France and other major powers beyond its traditional United States ally, while also adopting a more assertive foreign policy of its own.

Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also defense minister, boarded the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which is operating in Gulf waters, the Saudi Press Agency said.

In 1989, he helped Saudi Arabia negotiate the agreement that ended Lebanon’s 15-year civil war.

Among the stories shared about the prince by Western diplomats in Riyadh is that at one point, he had approached King Abdullah to ask to retire as foreign minister, saying he was exhausted and needed to rest.

Iranian-backed Shiite rebels in Yemen have taken over large chunks of the country over the past several months, forcing President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi into Saudi exile.