Dubai: Saudi King Salman has arrived in Oman to pay his respects after the passing of Sultan Qaboos on Saturday.
Also in attendance was His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Shaikh Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ajman, His Highness Shaikh Saud Bin Rashid Al Mualla, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Umm Al Quwain and His Highness Shaikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah.
He was among several world leaders who visited Oman on the second day of mourning.
He was among several world leaders who visited Oman on the second day of mourning.
UAE’s Minister of Tolerance, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, was also among the visitors to Oman yesterday, offering condolences on the death of Sultan Qaboos Bin Said to his successor Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al Said.
Also in attendance was Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa and former Lebanese Premier Najib Mikati, according to the Oman News Agency.
Sultan Haitham also received condolence cables from French President Emmanuel Macron, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
On Sunday the mourners who visited included: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces; His Highness Dr. Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah; Kuwait’s Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber; Bahraini King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa; Qatar’s Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani; and Tunisian President Qais Saeed on his first foreign visit since taking office in October, the Omani news agency.
Qaboos dies at 79
Sultan Qaboos died on Friday at 79 after ruling Oman for nearly 50 years, an era that transformed the country, establishing it as a trusted mediator in regional and global disputes.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday called the late Omani leader a US friend and a Middle East peacemaker.
“As the longest-serving leader in the Middle East, Sultan Qaboos brought peace and prosperity to his country and was a friend to all,” Trump said in a statement.
“His unprecedented efforts to engage in dialogue and achieve peace in the region showed us the importance of listening to all viewpoints. Sultan Qaboos was a true partner and friend to the United States, working with nine different American presidents,” Trump added.
In his inaugural speech on Saturday, Sultan Haitham, a former culture minister, pledged to follow Qaboos’ foreign policy of peaceful coexistence and noninterference in other countries’ affairs.
Promise to build on Qaboos legacy
The 65-year-old sultan also promised to build on Qaboos’ legacy of further developing Oman and maintaining friendly ties with all countries.
Under Qaboos, Oman enjoyed political and economic stability in a region roiled by turmoil.
Qaboos had adopted a foreign policy based on good neighbourliness and cordial ties with different countries — a policy dubbed as “a friend of all and a foe of none”.
Oman helped defuse 2013 US-Iran tensions and played a key role in reaching a nuclear deal between Tehran and big powers, including the US, two years later.
