Hariri Congratulates New Saudi Crown Prince
Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Wednesday congratulated Saudi Defense Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman on his appointment as crown prince.
Hariri telephoned the crown prince and wished him well, Hariri's press office said.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia's King Salman appointed his 31-year-old son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince, placing him firmly as first-in-line to the throne.
In a series of royal decrees carried on the state-run Saudi Press Agency, the monarch stripped Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who had been positioned to inherit the throne, from his title as crown prince and from his powerful position as the country's interior minister overseeing security.
The newly announced Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman already oversees a vast portfolio as defense minister and head of an economic council tasked with overhauling the country's economy. He had previously been the second-in-line to the throne as deputy crown prince, though royal watchers had long suspected his rise to power under his father's reign might also accelerate his ascension to the throne.
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