King Abdullah late on Saturday named his half-brother Prince Salman, who is governor of Riyadh, as Saudi Arabia’s defence minister to succeed the late Crown Prince Sultan, state television Al-Ekhbariya said. Although Prince Salman served as governor for more than half a century, he has not previously held a ministerial post. Prince Sattam bin Abdul Aziz was appointed Riyadh’s governor in Prince Salman’s place, the report said, citing a series of royal decrees, under which Prince Khaled bin Sultan, the late crown prince’s son, was named deputy defence minister. The appointment of Prince Salman comes as Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, is holding negotiations with the United States on the final details of a 60-billion-dollar arms deal.
