Deposed Saudi Crown Prince Confined To
Palace
Saudi officials deny claims Mohammed bin
Nayef is under house arrest while power
transition takes effect
By Martin Chulov
June 30,
2017 "Information
Clearing House"
- The deposed Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin
Nayef, has been confined to his palace in the
Red Sea city of Jeddah, as his young successor
seeks to consolidate his newfound power, two
sources close to the royal family have
confirmed.
The movements of the former heir to the throne
have been restricted since
Mohammed bin Salman, 31, replaced his cousin as
crown prince last week,
ensuring that he, instead of the 57-year-old
security tsar whom he ousted, would eventually
succeed his father as ruler.
Senior
Saudi officials denied Bin Nayef was under house
arrest, with one describing the claim – first
reported in the New York Times – as “not true at
all”. Another official, however, said: “It’s
just in the changeover period. MBS [bin Salman]
does not want to take any risks. It is not house
arrest. Nothing like that at all.”
Bin
Nayef had been the kingdom’s most influential
security official over the past 15 years. He had
maintained close intelligence connections with
the US and UK and was seen by Saudi allies as an
assured and trusted hand.
His
ties to Saudi allies are far more extensive than
those of his successor, a possible factor in the
decision to keep him isolated while the power
transition takes effect. The House of Saud had
been determined to convey the image of a
seamless handover, with a government video
showing Bin Salman bowing and kissing the hand
of his cousin after being named crown prince.
In the
lead up to the change, however, a mutual rivalry
has eroded trust. “It was never daggers drawn,”
said the Saudi official. “It was that a younger
man wanted the job and the older man didn’t like
it. Things never broke down, but it became clear
that the king’s son had the profile and status
that the crown prince should have had. Everyone
could see that.”
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The New
York Times reported that guards loyal to Bin
Salman had replaced those of his predecessor
outside the Jeddah palace to where the ousted
royal had returned. It is understood that Bin
Nayef and his close family members have been
prevented from leaving the kingdom.
“If he
is seen as benign, this will change quite
quickly,” the official said. “I suspect they
don’t want him jetting off to Washington in a
bad mood and telling anyone, even our allies,
the state secrets.
“There
is too much risk in letting a disgruntled figure
talk at a time like this.”
Bin
Nayef’s insights into his own exit as well as
political machinations within the opaque Saudi
inner circle would be keenly sought by Riyadh’s
allies and rivals and he would likely be
welcomed in western capitals, should he leave
the country.
The upheaval follows a dizzying series of moves
from the usually cautious kingdom, which in
recent weeks has recalibrated relations with
Washington and opened
a diplomatic offensive against Qatar,
led by Bin Salman’s office, while pressing ahead
with a
war in Yemen
and an ambitious economic and cultural overhaul
at home.
Bin Salman
has been central to the changes, which have
helped his profile and powers grow rapidly under
the tutelage of an 81-year-old monarch who has
given him an almost free hand over most aspects
of society. Central to his mandate is a plan to
use capital from the partial privatisation of
the world’s largest company, Aramco, to
revitalise the Saudi economy.
However, cultural and societal reforms have also
been flagged as paramount – in particular
introducing a work ethic into a state where a
large migrant labour force plays a
disproportionate role in productivity. A senior
official in Riyadh said that what is being
envisaged is “cultural revolution, more than
economic reform”.
Bin
Nayef had not opposed the reform programme, but
had been considered by the Royal Court – and
Saudi allies – as a measured voice who had urged
a more painstaking process, which had
characterised past overhauls.
“He
played the bad cop role,” said the Saudi
official. “But that did not contribute to his
downfall. He had to go because he was in the
way. That’s all.”
This article was first published by
The
Guardian
-
The
views expressed in this article are solely those
of the author and do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of Information Clearing House.
See
also
Escalation against Qatar
and Iran may follow Muhammad Bin-Salman’s
appointment as crown prince