THE news of Crown Prince Sultan’s homecoming after a full recovery from his illness has come at a highly opportune moment. His return and resumption of duties as deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation means he can add his wise counsel and great experience to Saudi governance.
Of particular concern to the prince, who throughout his convalescence in Morocco has been following events here closely, will be the disturbances on the border with Yemen involving Yemeni rebels in Jazan. Saudi Arabia has reacted firmly to aggression from the rebels and to their incursions into its territory. The knowledge that Prince Sultan is back at the Ministry of Defense will be a considerable morale-booster for troops currently occupied in the protection of Saudi territorial integrity and shielding the local population in the south from further attacks.
The prince will doubtless be proud of the way in which commanders and their troops on the ground have handled the emergency efficiently and decisively. The performance of our military, including the air force, owes much to the high standards and exhaustive training on which Prince Sultan has always insisted throughout his long tenure of the defense portfolio which he accepted from the late King Faisal way back in 1962.
As right-hand man of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Prince Sultan’s wide experience of government will also be extremely welcome in the aftermath of the greatest civil emergency that the Kingdom has faced in living memory. The country is still reeling from the Jeddah floods, not just because of the loss of life but also because of the extraordinary trail of havoc and destruction the sudden inundation left in its wake.
Prince Sultan can be expected to add his backing to the ongoing inquiry ordered by King Abdullah, which is seeking not only to find out precisely what mistakes caused the disaster but also to ensure that such a tragedy never occurs again, not just in Jeddah but anywhere in the Kingdom. With his strong defense background Prince Sultan can be expected to bring a no-nonsense military mind to the problems. These clearly seem to have been caused by unforgivable civilian muddle and by a parlous lack of clear lines of responsibility for everything from initial planning and design right through to the emergency responses after the floods.
The prince’s return to the Kingdom can also be expected to boost its already considerable charitable work. His charity donations, not just in Saudi Arabia but throughout the world, have over the years made a difference for millions of people. Indeed, it is typical of the prince that one of his very first acts this week as he returned to full-time governmental duties was the initiation of a new donation service using a mobile phone for the Prince Salman Charitable Housing Society.
It has been a long and challenging time for Prince Sultan since he underwent surgery in the United States last February. We share the general pleasure at his recovery and join with everyone in warmly welcoming him home.
