Kuwait’s emir Sheikh Sabah dies at age 91

Kuwait’s emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the architect of the nation’s modern foreign policy and mediator in some of the worst crises to grip the Gulf, died on Tuesday at the age of 91. Sheikh Sabah had earned a reputation as a shrewd, unshakeable leader who helped steer his country through the 1990 Iraqi invasion, crashes in global oil markets and crises in parliament and on the streets.




Kuwait's emir Sheikh Sabah dies in US hospital at 91

https://news.yahoo.com/kuwaits-emir-sheikh-sabah-dies-150428555.html

Kuwait's emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, architect of the nation's modern foreign policy and mediator in some of the worst crises to grip the Gulf, died on Tuesday at the age of 91.

The government quickly named his half-brother, 83-year-old Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, as his successor.

Sheikh Sabah had earned a reputation as a shrewd, unshakeable leader who helped steer his country through the 1990 Iraqi invasion, crashes in global oil markets and upheavals in parliament and on the streets.
"With great sadness and sorrow, we mourn... the death of Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah," Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah, minister in charge of royal affairs, announced in a televised statement.
The government declared a 40-day period of national mourning.
The United Nations described the late emir as a "distinguished statesman and an outstanding humanitarian" as it led tributes which came from across the Middle East's political divides.
"Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed earned international recognition for his wisdom, generosity and achievements in state-building and preventive diplomacy," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's spokesman said in a statement.
He had made "a personal contribution to regional stability and humanitarian assistance which will long be remembered", British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
The emir, who had ruled the oil-rich Gulf state since 2006, died in the United States where he had been receiving hospital treatment after undergoing surgery in Kuwait City. Details of his illness were not disclosed.
In his absence, Sheikh Nawaf -- an elder statesman who has held high office for decades including the defence and interior ministries -- had served as acting ruler. He is to be sworn in on Wednesday.
- Smooth handover -
The 15th leader in a family that has ruled for over 250 years, Sheikh Sabah weathered Kuwait's crises with shrewd judgement and an iron fist.
As the country's top diplomat for nearly four decades, he fostered close ties with the West, most notably the United States which led the international coalition that freed Kuwait from Iraqi occupation in 1991.