Saudi Arabia mourned on Sunday the death of Crown Prince Sultan, as King Abdullah prepared to nominate his new heir and choose a new occupant of the key defence minister's job. With much of the rest of the Middle East in turmoil, US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta expressed confidence in Riyadh's ability to stage an effective transition in the area of defence after the death of the crown prince.
Prince Sultan, who had been heir to the Saudi king since 2006 and defence and aviation minister since 1962, died of colon cancer in New York on Saturday.
While most analysts expect the veteran Interior Minister Prince Nayef to become crown prince, there is less certainty about the defence role, a key post in a country that uses multi-billion dollar arms deals to cement relations with top allies.
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