saudi australia bulletin issue 51 nov 2011

November 2011 Issue 51 Vol 6 www.saudiaustraliaonline.com

NOVEMBER 2011 ISSUE 51 VOL 6

SAUDI AUSTRALIA BULLETIN IS

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Nov 2011 Issue 51 Vol 6 www.saudiaustraliaonline.com

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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the world mourned the passing of Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz, Saudi First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation, and Saudi In-spector General, after a long illness.

In a statement issued by the Saudi Royal Court, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, announced, with deep sorrow and grief, the death of his brother and faithful Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz whilst receiv-ing medical treatment in the US. The Royal Court also offered its condolences to the people of Saudi Arabia, and its prayers to Almighty Allah to bestow His mercy and forgiveness upon the Crown Prince. The body of Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz is expected to be returned to Saudi Arabia late Monday. The death of Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz, known as the Sultan al-Khair [Sultan of Virtue], has been mourned across the world, and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz has received condolences from numerous world leaders. US President Barack Obama offered condolences to Saudi Arabia following the death of the Sultan al-Khair, calling

Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz a “valued friend” who helped cement ties between allies. Obama said “he [Crown Prince Sultan] was a strong supporter of the deep and enduring partnership between our two countries forged almost seven decades ago” adding that he learned of the crown prince’s death with “great regret.” The US President said “as minister of defense and aviation for almost 50 years, Crown Prince Sultan dedicated himself to the welfare and security of his people and country and was a valued friend of the United States.” He added “On behalf of the American people, I extend my deep-est condolences to King Abdullah, the royal family, and the peo-ple of Saudi Arabia.” Whilst US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also offered her “deepest condolences…to King Abdullah and the Saudi people” adding that “he [Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz] will be missed.”


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SAUDI AUSTRALIA BULLETIN PAGE 3

The Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard extended condolenc-es to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on the death of the late Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz.

The Prime Minister, in her name and on behalf of the Govern-ment as well as the people of Australia, expressed deep and sin-cere sorrow to the King, praising the well played role by the late Prince Sultan Abdulaziz as a long standing minister of defense. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, sent a personal letter of condo-lence to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdul-lah Bin Abdulaziz. A royal spokesman said: “the Prince of Wales sent a personal letter of condolence to the King of Saudi Arabia expressing his deep sadness at the news.” However the Saudi Crown Prince’s passing was felt even more strongly in the Middle East. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described the death of Crown Prince Sultan as being a great loss to the Palestinian cause. In a letter of condolence to the Saudi monarch, Abbas said “with the death of Crown Prince Sultan, the Kingdom [of Saudi Arabia] and our Islamic and Arab nation has lost an outstanding leader, a wise statesman who de-voted his life for the service of his homeland, religion, and all of

humanity.” Whilst UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said that he learned of the passing of Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz with “great sadness.” The UN Secretary-General said that the Crown Prince had played a “significant role” in Saudi Arabia for many years, adding that he was respected around the world for his “wisdom and statesmanship.” Organization of the Is-lamic Cooperation [OIC] Secretary-General Ek-meleddin Ihsanoglu sent a cable of condolence to the Saudi monarch in which he mourned the passing of “one of the great sagacious leaders of the Islamic Um-mah, who had devoted his generosity-marked life in the service of his nation and the Islamic Ummah.” The passing of Crown Prince Sultan Bin Ab-dulaziz was met with particular sadness and grief within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah al-Sheikh sent a message of condo-

lence to King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, and prayed that Al-mighty Allah would grant the late prince mercy, forgiveness, and reward him for his devoted service to Islam, the Islamic Ummah, and his homeland. The General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars also expressed its deep condolences on the passing of Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz. The Council’s Secretary-Gener-al, Sheikh Fahd Bin Saad al-Majed, said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Ummah had lost one of their “sincere leaders who defended their rights all over the world, providing relief and emergency assistance to them, and sup-porting their Islamic organizations and centers.” The Saudi Shura Council described the Crown Prince as “the man of the century” saying he had contributed to the develop-ment of Saudi Arabia in several fields. In a statement issued on Sunday, the Shura Council said “Prince Sultan remained a symbol of true statesmanship, greatness, and benevolence.” Whilst Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah al-Sheikh sent a message of condolence to King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, and prayed that Almighty Allah would grant the late prince mercy, forgiveness, and reward him for his devoted service to Islam, the Islamic Ummah, and his homeland.

“The death of Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz was mourned across the world, with almost 2 million people searching “Google” for news about the Crown Prince’s death.”


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How difficult this separation is, but it is Allah’s will and the way life goes. The humane prince, “Sultan Al-Khair,” the prince of humanitarian positions standing side by side with his politi-

cal positions and his fatherly smile is gone. The states-man who dedicated his life to the service of his religion, country, people and Arab and Islamic nation and the one whose smile never left his face even in the dark-est circumstances to create hope in good times and bad times, has departed. “Sultan Al-Khair”, who rendered his charitable actions his chief concern on the personal level and his main task on the institutional level, is no longer among us. Prince Sultan Bin Abdul-Aziz’ life constituted a unique archetype of endless generosity, as well as conscious, moderate and wise command. He dedicated his life, time, effort and thoughts to promote the country’s rise, and his hands, contributions and positions affected the Arab, Islamic, regional and international causes. He was always preoccupied with the unification of the ranks and the enhancement of cohesion, as well as with ensuring peace and security in the Kingdom and throughout the region. Sultan was tough on the aggressors and merciful with the needy, thus constituting a model for a nation based on mutual love, appreciation and loyalty. Sultan enjoyed a smile that generated optimism among the poor and the deprived within this nation, which is

why the people shared his love and loyalty and granted him many sponta-neous titles ex-pressing their gratitude toward him and toward the efforts he deployed in all areas. He thus became the “Sul-tan of charity,” the “Sultan of the hearts,” the “Sultan of humanity” and the “Sultan of generosity.”During a meeting held by Prince Sultan with some of the chief editors of the Saudi papers in New York on the side-lines of the United Nations General Assembly sessions in 2005, I remember he was speaking with a lot of optimism and hope. He was tackling the future of the country and all the reforms and developmental projects that were car-ried out to place it on the same level as the major economic powers. He was wagering on Saudi Arabia’s future, but also on its regional and international role. As usual, he showed understanding and appreciation toward the role played by the Saudi press. At this level, I remember a meeting I had with him before he went to receive treatment in New York.


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He said he was in favor of “journal-istic criticism. The press is the mir-ror and eye of the officials, which is

why they should not be disgruntled by what is carried in it. They must rather respond to it with facts.” At the time, he assured he valued his relationship with the media and with the Saudi and non-Saudi journalists. His life was filled with accomplishments and actions that achieved immortality in the hearts of the people. He was a courageous leader during the Kuwait liberation war and was firm at the level of the protection of the country’s bor-der, security and the safety of its citizens. He was also wise at the level of his policy, as he supervised the Saudi-Yemeni coordination file with tact and professionalism, and han-dled the Saudi-Qatari rapprochement file, resulting in the elimination of the coldness and the return of warmth at

the level of the relations between the two brotherly countries. As for the foundation established by Prince Sultan for humanitarian work inside and outside the country under the slogan “Helping People to Help Themselves,” it managed to achieve its goals and secured numer-ous accomplishments on the medical and humanitarian levels. Its services reached many Islamic, Arab and in-ternational states, to the point where it became among the most promi-nent charitable foundations. But his humanitarian work was not limited to the foundation, as he did not hesi-tate to help the poor and the needy from whichever door they came. He could not rest while knowing that a sick person was in pain and never doubted that what he did was his duty, because he loved his country and his people. And among his most famous habits which I knew about was his permanent and close moni-toring of the page “People’s Con-cerns” in this very paper. He used to care about what was published in it and adopt the humanitarian causes it featured. He was thus the permanent donor under the pseudonym “good-doer,” since he refused to have his name published in Al-Hayat’s com-ments on the progress of the cases published in it, out of belief that he

was conducting his national and humanitarian duty and what was dictated by his religion. One cannot recall the modern history of the third Saudi state without recalling Abu Khalid’s accomplishments and successes, considering he was an important part of this history.I thus extend my condolences to the poor Saudi people before the rich, to the needy before those who are well off, seeing how they are the most saddened by Sultan al-Khair’s departure. I also extend my condolences to Custo-dian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Ab-dul-Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Prince Nayef Bin Abdul-Aziz, Assistant Min-ister of Defense and Aviation Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Bin Abdul-Aziz and the deceased’s sons and daughters, asking Allah the Almighty to show him the compassion he showed to the poor, the needy, the ill, the children, the orphans and the widows and to give him eternal peace as he was good to his country and truthful to his people.


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H.R.H. Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Sec-ond Deputy Premier and Interior Minister, said the late crown prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defence

and Aviation and Inspector General, was the best brother and best friend.These remarks came in a press statement to Saudi TV at the Riyadh airbase’s reception hall.Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz said that Prince Sultan was a no-ble brother, greatest leader and best reference in state mat-ters.“Prince Sultan used to say yes for what is right and no for what is wrong,” Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz said, adding, “al-though Prince Sultan was an elder brother, he used to treat us as friends; and he encouraged us to express ourselves, and speak out our viewpoints.”“What is more important is his devoted loyalty to the cus-todian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Ab-dulaziz Al Saud. Prince Sultan gives first priority to the royal directives, considering whatsoever order issued by the King should be carried out,” Prince Naif added.“Emanating from our keenness on the health of King Ab-

Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud with the late Crown Prince Sultan

dullah, we appealed to him not to go to the airport nor attend the funeral prayer. However, his love to Sultan was the main motivation for him to overcome the situation,” Prince Naif said.Prince Naif prayed to the Almighty Allah to bless the soul of Prince Sultan.


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The Australian Government has extended its deepest condolences to His Majesty King Abdullah bin Ab-dulaziz Al-Saud and the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the loss through illness of Deputy

Prime Minister, Minister for Defence and Aviation and Inspec-tor General, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Sultan bin Ab-dulaziz Al-Saud. The Australian Government acknowledges the valued contri-bution of His Royal Highness Prince Sultan to Saudi Arabia’s development and emergence as a major country in global affairs.His Royal Highness played a central role in contributing to re-gional stability as Saudi Arabia’s Defence Minister, a post the Crown Prince held for close to 50 years.His Royal Highness also contributed to the expansion of bilat-eral relations with Australia, particularly in the fields of defence and agriculture. Part of his legacy is the warm and constructive relations between Australia and the Kingdom, based on shared

Australia’s Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Julie Bishop, has expressed condolences to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Saudi people, on the demise of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General.In a statement issued here today, she commended important and leading roles played by the Crown Prince, through his post as Minister of Defense and Aviation, in support of regional stability.Julie Bishop noted that a large number of Australian officials, who have met the Crown Prince, expressed their great admiration and appreciation of him for his roles in strengthening the bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Australia.

AUSTRALIA’S SHADOW MINISTEREXPRESSES CONDOLENCES

The Hon Julie Bishop MP

interests including a strong commitment to international peace and stability.The Australian Government remains committed to further strengthening this important relationship both bilaterally and through multilateral forums such as the G20.


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The Muslim Community

in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands have expressed condolences and sympathy to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Ab-dulaziz Al Saud and to the people and Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the death of Crown Prince

Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General.This came in the messages received by the Saudi Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand Hassan bin Talat Nazer.Ambassador Nazer said that the Muslim community in Austral-ia, New Zealand and the neighboring islands hailed the Crown Prince’s stances, initiatives and service to the religion of Islam, and his care for the affairs of Mus-lims in the Arab and Islamic world and around the world.Hassan Bin Talat Nazer has also on his own behalf and on behalf of all embassy and culture attaché members and Saudi students in Australia ex-pressed its condolences to the Government and people of the

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the death of HRH Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier, Min-ister of Defence and Aviation and Inspector General on behalf . Ambassador Nazer asked Allah the Almighty to bestow his mercy and forgiveness and eternal peace upon the deceased Crown Prince, to bless his soul and to grant him the best reward for serving his religion and his country.Ambassador Nazer Add, “.Crown Prince Sultan had great achievements and tremendously contributed to maintain Muslim solidarity. “He always helped the people in need and supported charitable and social activities and organisations,” Ambassador Nazer said.

“He (Crown Prince Sultan) always helped the people in need and supported charitable and social activities” Hassan Nazer

saudi australia bulletin issue 51 nov 2011

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