Sultan Qaboos Archives - Iran News Daily

New ruler of Oman follows peaceful policy of Sultan Qaboos

reporter 1222 — Sun, 12 Jan 2020 04:55:04 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – New ruler of Oman pledged Saturday to follow the non-interference policy that made the kingdom a vital regional mediator under his late cousin Sultan Qaboos who reigned for half a century.

Haitham bin Tariq, the culture minister, was sworn n as the new ruler of Oman, shortly after modern Oman’s founding father was laid to rest after his death on Friday at the age of 79, AFP reported.

“We will follow the path of the late sultan,” Haitham, 65, said in his first public speech which was aired live on state television.

He expressed support for “our country’s foreign policy of peaceful living among nations and peoples… and not interfering in the internal affairs of others, respecting nations’ sovereignty and international cooperation.”

Qaboos transformed the Arabian Peninsula nation from a backwater into a modern state with thriving tourism industry, thanks to the country’s crystal waters and scenic mountain ranges.

But it was the sultan’s policy of neutrality and non-interference that elevated Oman’s standing as a “Switzerland of the Middle East” and made him an important go-between.

Qaboos, the longest-serving leader of the modern Arab world, came to power in 1970 when he deposed his father in a palace coup. His death came after a long illness and he was believed to be suffering from colon cancer.

The late sultan, who was unmarried and had no children, left no apparent heir. Under the constitution, new ruler of Oman was to be selected in a meeting of the royal family.

If they could not agree, the person chosen by the sultan and named in a sealed letter was to succeed him. State TV said that the letter had been opened, without elaborating as to why.

“Haitham bin Tariq was sworn in as the new sultan of the country… after a meeting of the family which decided to appoint the one who was chosen by the sultan,” the government said in a tweet.

Many experts had expected the throne to go to Asad bin Tariq, another cousin, who was appointed deputy prime minister for international relations and cooperation affairs in 2017 in what was seen as a clear message of support.

However, analysts said the swift handover boded well for a smooth succession, at a time of heightened regional tensions.

Haitham, a sports enthusiast, was appointed to lead the Heritage and Culture Ministry in the mid-1990s and also serves as head of the committee for Oman’s “Vision 2040”, a roadmap for social and economic reform.

Sultan Qaboos was laid to rest at the royal cemetery on Saturday after his coffin, draped in the Omani flag, was driven through the streets of the capital Muscat.

Thousands of people, including members of the royal family and state officials, were present for prayers at the main mosque which is named after the sultan.

The royal court announced a mourning period that will see businesses and government offices closed for three days.

Many Western and Arab diplomats see the sultanate, with its moderate but active foreign policy that includes healthy relations with the US as well as with regional powers Iran and Saudi Arabia, as a model of balance.

The late sultan’s standing was recognized with warm tributes from across the world, including from Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif who said in a tweet written in Arabic that his death was a “loss for the region”.

“We offer our dear neighbor Oman our condolences… (and) we congratulate it on naming His Majesty Haitham bin Tariq as sultan, hoping our relations grow as they have before and that the future draws inspiration from the past,” Zarif tweeted.

As the Persian Gulf’s discreet go-between, Oman played a role in Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

“He was a stable force in the Middle East and a strong US ally. His Majesty had a vision for a modern, prosperous, and peaceful Oman, and he willed that vision into reality,” former US president George W. Bush said in a message of condolence.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also recalled a meeting with Qaboos where he was “struck by his commitment to peace and understanding between nations and between faiths.”

“He leaves a profound legacy, not only in Oman but across the region too,” Johnson said.

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Sultan Qaboos of Oman dies at 79

reporter 1222 — Sat, 11 Jan 2020 04:54:17 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said al-Said, passed away early on Saturday, Oman state TV and the state news agency Twitter account said.

Last month he returned home after undergoing medical checks and treatment in Belgium. There were reports he was suffering from cancer.

Sultan Qaboos was unmarried and had no heir or designated successor.

According to the sultanate’s Basic Statute, the Royal Family Council – comprising about 50 male members – should choose a new sultan within three days of the throne falling vacant.

If the family cannot agree, members of the defense counsel and the chairmen of the Supreme Court, the Consultative Council and the State Council will open a sealed envelope in which Qaboos secretly recorded his choice and enthrone that person.

The leading contenders reportedly include three brothers who are cousins of Qaboos: Culture Minister Haitham bin Tariq Al Said; Deputy Prime Minister Asaad bin Tariq Al Said; and Shihab bin Tariq Al Said, a former Oman Navy commander who advises the sultan.

The sultan is the paramount decision-maker in Oman and also holds the positions of prime minister, supreme commander of the armed forces, minister of defense, minister of finance and minister of foreign affairs.

For almost five decades, Sultan Qaboos completely dominated the political life of Oman, which is home to 4.6 million people, of whom about 43% are expatriates.

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Sultan Qaboos is ‘stable’ despite worries

reporter 1222 — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 06:00:58 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Oman’s 79-year-old ruler Sultan Qaboos bin Said is in “stable condition” and is following a doctor-prescribed medical treatment, the nation’s royal court announced Tuesday, amid days of worried speculation about his health.

A statement carried by the sultanate’s state-run Oman News Agency did not, however, explain what illness the monarch faced. Sultan Qaboos, long unmarried, has no heir and it remains unclear who will succeed him in this nation on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, AP reported.

Sultan Qaboos traveled to Belgium for a week in December for what was described then as “medical checks.” He returned to Oman, but rumors soon spread that he faced a serious relapse, with social media posts praising his long rule since 1970.

Tuesday’s statement from the Diwan Court sought to ease those concerns.

“The Royal Diwan Court wishes to inform the people that the Sultan Qaboos bin Said … is following the prescribed medical treatment and that he is in a stable condition, thanks to God,” the statement said. “The sultan thanks his people all around the world for them sharing their good wishes and prayers for him.”

Sultan Qaboos previously spent eight months in Germany, returning to the sultanate in 2015 after receiving medical care. It remains unclear what ails him, though a report by the Washington Institute for Near-East Policy published early Tuesday described the sultan as a “79-year-old with diabetes and a history of colon cancer.”

“For Oman, there would be no good time to lose the sultan, who has ushered his country into the modern age,” analyst Simon Henderson wrote. “With succession in the offing, the sultan’s lack of an heir from his one brief marriage and his decision to not identify a successor make for mystery and some anxiety.”

Oman under Sultan Qaboos has served as an interlocutor between Iran and the US. Those efforts reached their zenith with the talks between Iranian and American the sultanate hosted that gave birth to Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

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Meeting with Israeli regime’s PM far from wisdom of Sultan Qaboos

reporter 1222 — Sat, 27 Oct 2018 12:56:44 +0000

Iranian Parliament Speaker’s Special Aide Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that the Friday meeting with Israeli regime’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is far from the wisdom of Oman’s Sultan Qaboos.

In a Saturday tweet and in reaction to Netanyahu’s unannounced trip to Oman, Amir-Abdollahian wrote, “the meeting of Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of the illegitimate Israeli regime, with Sultan Qaboos in Oman is far from the known wisdom of Sultan Qaboos.”

‘Palestine Deal of the Century’ will not be fruitful for Trump and Netanyahu, he added.

Israeli regime PM Netanyahu, along with a delegation, made an unannounced visit to Oman on Thursday night, which was kept secret until Netanyahu’s return home. This is the first visit by an Israeli leader to the sultanate over the past two decades.

The Israeli delegation, including Yossi Cohen, the director of the Mossad spy agency, and National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, returned to the occupied Palestinian territories on Friday.

A joint statement issued by the two sides said they “discussed ways to advance the Middle East peace process” and “a number of issues of mutual interest to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East.”

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