Mr Cameron said: “I am saddened to hear of the death of His Royal Highness Prince Saud al Faisal”.
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His death was announced via Facebook by Nawaf al-Faisal, one of the Prince’s relatives, and was later confirmed by Osama Nugali, a foreign ministry spokesman.
“All the neighbourhood, if you will, will be at peace with Israel, will recognise their right to exist”.
Prince Saud al-Faisal – For 40 years he led the diplomacy of Saudi Arabia.
He retired in April, citing health reasons, just three months after the death of King Abdullah. Prince Saud became the Arab kingdom’s head of foreign relations in 1975 in the wake of the assassination of his father, King Faisal.
Israel never agreed to the plan and Prince Saud said frequently that the failure to help create a Palestinian state was the biggest disappointment of his career.
“Generations of American leaders and diplomats benefited from Prince Saud’s thoughtful perspective, charisma and poise, and diplomatic skill”, he said in a statement.
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. King Salman’s son, Prince Sultan, is married to one of Prince Saud’s daughters. Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said the world had lost a “noble” diplomat.
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.
Last year, he invited Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to visit Saudi Arabia, but later accused Iran of fomenting unrest throughout the Middle East. Zarif ended up visiting shortly after King Abdullah’s death in late January and expressed hopes of greater co-operation with the Sunni-ruled kingdom.
Faisal was a member of the royal family and appointed to the position of foreign minister in 1975.
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Keath reported from Cairo.
