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By Reuters
LONDON – In the international turmoil provoked by the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, members of the Saudi ruling family are mobilizing to prevent Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from becoming king, three sources close to the royal court said.
Dozens of princes and cousins belonging to powerful branches of the Al Saud family want to see a change in the estate but do not want to do anything until King Salman, the father of the 82-year-old Crown Prince, is still alive. life, the sources said. They recognize that it is unlikely that the king will turn against his favorite son, nicknamed MBS in the West.
Instead, they discuss the possibility with other family members that after the death of the king, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, 76 years old, younger brother of King Salman and uncle of the prince heir, take the throne, according to sources.
Prince Ahmed, Salman's only own brother, would have the support of family members, the security apparatus and some Western powers, said one of Saudi sources.
Prince Ahmed returned to Riyadh in October after two and a half months abroad. During his trip, he appeared to criticize the Saudi leaders while responding to protesters in front of a London residence chanting the fall of the Al Saud dynasty. He was one of only three members of the Allegiance Council, made up of the senior members of the ruling family, who had opposed MBS becoming Crown Prince in 2017, said two Saudi sources at the time.
Neither Prince Ahmed nor his representatives could be reached for comment. Officials in Riyadh did not immediately respond to Reuters' inquiries regarding their estate problems.
Saud's house is made up of hundreds of princes. Unlike typical European monarchies, there is no automatic succession from father to eldest son. Instead, the tribal traditions of the kingdom dictate that the king and the eldest members of the family of each branch choose the heir they deem most fit to lead.
Senior US officials have told Saudi advisers in recent weeks that they would support Prince Ahmed, deputy minister of the interior for nearly 40 years, as a potential successor, according to Saudi sources having direct knowledge of the consultations.
These Saudi sources said they were convinced that Prince Ahmed would not change or reverse the social or economic reforms promulgated by the MBS, honor the military purchase contracts in force, and restore the unity of the family.
A senior US official said the White House was not in a hurry to distance himself from the Crown Prince despite pressure from lawmakers and the CIA's assessment that MBS would have ordered the assassination of Khashoggi, although that may change once Trump gets a definitive report on the killing from the intelligence services. .
The official also said that the White House considered it remarkable that King Salman appeared to be standing by his son in a speech on Monday in Riyadh and made no direct reference to the killing of Khashoggi, other than to praise him. the Saudi prosecutor.
President Donald Trump on Saturday called for the CIA's assessment that MBS had ordered the assassination of Khashoggi "very premature" but "possible," and announced that he would receive a full report on the Case on Tuesday. A White House official referred these comments to Reuters and had "nothing else to add for the moment.
The brutal murder of Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the Crown Prince, in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul last month, has sparked worldwide condemnation, including many politicians and officials in the United States, a key ally of Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi prosecutor said the crown prince knew nothing about the murder.
International turmoil has put pressure on a royal court already divided over the 33-year-old prince's swift rise to power. Since his rise, the prince enjoys popular support through far-reaching social and economic reforms, including lifting the ban on driving women and opening cinemas in the conservative realm .
His reforms were accompanied by a crackdown on dissent, a purge of royal leaders and businessmen accused of corruption and a costly war in Yemen.
It has also marginalized senior members of the royal family and consolidated the control of Saudi security and intelligence agencies.
Officials in Riyadh did not respond to a request for comment.
When the king dies or is no longer able to govern, the 34-member Allegiance Council, representing each lineage of the ruling family to legitimize succession decisions, would not automatically declare MBS as the new king.
Even as crown prince, MBS would still need the council to ratify his ascent, said one of the three Saudi sources. Although the council accepted King Salman's wish to become crown prince of MBS, he would not necessarily agree that he would become king at the death of his father, all the more so since he was not a king. he sought to marginalize board members.
