According to Shabestan news agency: Octogenarian Prince Sultan, diagnosed with a colon cancer in 2004, died Saturday in a New York hospital during another visit to the United States for medical treatment.
Sultan served the UK-founded and US-backed Saudi regime for 70 years and became known as one of the longest-serving government officials in the world.
He served as the governor of Riyadh and in the ministries agriculture and communications and was the minister of defense for nearly half a century.
Sultan's death comes as the Saudi King Abdullah is also evidently gravely ill and has undergone major surgeries and medical treatment in American hospitals.
Unlike other monarchies in the world, the line of succession in the despotic regime of Saudi Arabia does not move directly from father to eldest son or daughter but moves down a line of brothers born to the kingdom's founder, bin Saud, who died in 1953.
Many political experts predict the king's other brother and the current powerful Interior Minister Prince Nayef as a likely successor.
In 2006, King Abdullah ordered the formation of a 34-member Allegiance Council to oversee succession issues. The creation of that body is said to have seriously damaged Nayef's chances for succession.
The demise of Prince Sultan came at a time when Muslims from across the universe and notably Bahrain, Egypt, Yemen and other North African and Middle Eastern travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage and visit other holy Muslim sites in Saudi Arabia.
Observers believe the visitors, especially those from Bahrain, will use the opportunity to voice their anger at Riyadh's political and military interventions in their nation's internal affairs.
All this comes as oil-rich Middle Eastern powerhouse is experiencing an unprecedented wave of popular protests over the persisting brutal crackdown on people that demand democracy and a voice in government decision making.
People in Saudi Arabia, especially women, have recently become increasingly vocal in demanding for their long-suppressed rights and greater freedoms, while educated youths in the country have taken strides to seriously challenge the very pillars of the hereditary kingdom.
source : http://shabestan.net
