Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - 20:30
AFP News Briefs ListFormer Kuwait emir dies
A former emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Saad Abdullah al-Sabah, has died after a long illness, the royal court announced on Tuesday in a statement broadcast by state television. He was 78.
He will be laid to rest on Wednesday morning, the statement said.
The already ailing Sheikh Saad succeeded to the throne in 2006 after the death of his predecessor, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah. He was then deposed by parliament after only nine days on health grounds.
Born in 1930, Sheikh Saad was the eldest son of the late Sheikh Abdullah al-Salem al-Sabah, the 11th emir of Kuwait, known as the father of independence and the constitution.
He was Kuwait's crown prince between 1977 and 2006. He was also prime minister between 1977 and 2003 when he relinquished the post due to poor health.
Sheikh Saad received his basic education in Kuwait before joining Hendon police college in London, where he attended specialist courses in police and security affairs until 1954.
He held various posts in the Kuwaiti police and public security services until 1959, when he was appointed deputy director of the police and public security department. He remained in that post until 1961.
In January 1962, Sheikh Saad was appointed interior minister in the first Kuwaiti cabinet after independence from Britain the previous year. In 1964, he was also put in charge of defence.
In early 1997, he underwent colon surgery. He had since travelled repeatedly to Britain and the United States for tests and treatment as his health deteriorated.
He was married to his immediate cousin Sheikha Latifa. He has one son, Fahd, and three surviving daughters. Two other daughters have died.
Images
A former emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Saad Abdullah al-Sabah, seen here in 2003, has died after a long illness, the royal court announced on Tuesday in a statement broadcast by state television. He was 78.
© 2007 AFP Yasser al-Zayyat
