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[webfact]

Saudi king taps veteran finance chief as foreign minister to improve image

By Marwa Rashad and Katie Paul

 

FILE PHOTO: Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud signs documents during the 2019 budget meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 18, 2018. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS

 

RIYADH/DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's king put a veteran former finance minister in charge of foreign affairs on Thursday, aiming to improve the kingdom's image after the crisis caused by the killing of a journalist and greater scrutiny of the Yemen war.

 

The Saudi government has come under intense international criticism over the murder of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.

 

It has also faced growing scepticism over its intervention in Yemen, where the United Nations says millions of people could starve to death because of supply lines disrupted by a Saudi-led war against the Houthi movement which controls the capital.

 

The events have gravely harmed the reputation of King Salman's son and heir, Crown Prince Mohammed, 33, who is poised to succeed his father in the kingdom's first generational transfer of power for more than 65 years.

 

In a cabinet reshuffle, Ibrahim al-Assaf, who served as finance minister for 20 years and has represented Saudi Arabia at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, was named to take over as foreign minister from Adel al-Jubeir.

 

Experts in Saudi politics said the move reflected a perception that Jubeir, a veteran diplomat, was tainted by having served as Riyadh's chief global defender during the Khashoggi affair.

 

"(Assaf) will basically follow orders, but is seen as key to rebuilding the kingdom's tarnished image given his own positive international image," said Neil Quilliam, a senior research fellow at Britain's Chatham House think tank. "So this rings in the new for the new year, but no real change."

 

Assaf was among scores of senior businessmen, officials and princes who was detained at a luxury hotel during an anti-corruption crackdown launched by the crown prince last year, although he was swiftly exonerated and released.

 

"TAINTED GOVERNMENT"

A Saudi official said the reshuffle came at the end of the cabinet's four-year term, as required by law.

 

In other changes, King Salman appointed Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz to replace Prince Khaled bin Ayyaf as chief of the National Guard. General Kalid bin Qirar al-Harbi was named general security chief, while Musaed al-Aiban, a Harvard-educated son of Saudi Arabia's first intelligence chief, was named national security adviser.

 

Turki al-Sheikh, a close adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed, was moved from his position as head of the sports committee to head up an entertainment commission.

 

"The reappointment of sports czar Turki al-Sheikh as head of the entertainment authority as well as changes in the national economy and security councils are an effort to put a polish on a tainted government," said James Dorsey, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

 

"None of this however calls into question the position of the crown prince. On the contrary, it reinforces it."

 

Turki al-Shabana, an executive at broadcaster Rotana, was appointed minister of information. Rotana is owned by billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who was also detained at the Ritz last year and later released.

 

King Salman also ordered the creation of a Saudi Space Agency, chaired by his 62-year-old son Prince Sultan bin Salman, who heads the Saudi tourism agency and flew aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle Discovery in the 1980s as the first Arab in space.

 

(Additional reporting by Asma Alsharif in Dubai and Stephen Kalin in New York; Writing by Aziz El Yaakoubi; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Peter Graff)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-12-28

[attrayant]

4 minutes ago, webfact said:

Saudi king taps veteran finance chief as foreign minister to improve image

 

Unfortunately, all the king's horses and all the king's men

Won't be able to put Jamal Khashoggi back together again

[quandow]

The sad thing - it will work. Two weeks from now, people will have forgotten because of some new atrocity. As a species, we suck.

[spidermike007]

Sorry to inform you Salman, but when your son runs amok, plays the gangster, has people dismembered in one of your own consulates, then you guys make a really sloppy effort to cover it up, your nation is caught out in the cold, busted, and the severe humiliation your nation has faced is not going to go away. We all know you favor the gangland son, but best if you replace him, and get a fresh start. Believe me when I tell you, the last thing the world needs is another murderous despot leader. We know who MBS is now. Everyone knows. The planet knows who your son is. And it is not good.

[pegman]

The best way to clean up the Kingdom's image is to have his son taken to a public square and have his head chopped off with a dull sword.