Dignitaries head to honor old, new king
By Abdullah al-shihri and Aya Batrawy
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — World leaders and top dignitaries began arriving in Saudi Arabia on Saturday to give their condolences following the death of King Abdullah, who died early Friday at 90 after nearly two decades at the helm.
Despite deep tensions and rivalries between the nations, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was among the first to arrive to the Sunniruled kingdom on Saturday where he was greeted at the airport by the late king’s son, Prince Turki, who is governor of Riyadh. Saudi state TV showed Zarif walking with the prince down a red carpet on the tarmac.
The newly enthroned King Salman is also expected to receive in the coming days President Barack Obama, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, Japan’s Crown Prince Naruhito, Spain’s King Felipe VI, Jordan’s King Abdullah, Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik, Dutch King Willem-Alexander, and the United Kingdom’s Prince Charles. Morocco’s Prince Moulay Rachid will pay his respects on the behalf of his brother King Mohammed VI.
Talk of Zarif visiting Saudi Arabia last year quickly dissipated after Iran protested comments made by Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Saud alFaisal in which he called on Tehran to withdraw its “occupying forces” from Syria, Yemen and Iraq. Iran insists it has no combat forces on the ground in any of the three countries, though it says it has sent senior commanders as advisers to Syria and Iraq.
The diplomatic squabble, in many ways, exemplified how Abdullah’s most pressing priority was to confront the Shiite powerhouse across the Gulf. The multiple conflicts across the region deepened Sunni-Shiite hatreds and fueled militancy during his reign.
The king, who ascended to the throne in 2005 but had been de-facto ruler for a decade before that, was buried Friday afternoon in an unmarked grave after a prayer service in the capi- tal Riyadh. The Muslimonly funeral was attended by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and the rulers of Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.
There was no memorial service.
Heads of state and royals from around world will instead be visiting Saudi Arabia over the coming days to pay their respects in meetings with Saudi royals. Powerful heads of tribes, as well as average Saudi citizens, will also meet the new king to give their condolences and express pledges of loyalty to him.