'Prince Saud worked tirelessly for peace and stability in Mideast'

Riyadh - Tributes flowed on Friday following the death of Saudi Arabia's Prince Saud Al Faisal, the world's longest-serving foreign minister, credited with facing down successive regional crises and forging strong ties with the West.
Prince Saud oversaw four decades of diplomacy for the world's biggest oil exporter before he retired in April for health reasons.
A statement from the Royal Court just before midnight said the prince, who was born in 1940 and became one of the highest profile members of the kingdom's ruling elite, died on Thursday in the United States. It did not give a cause of death.
The funeral will be held on Saturday in the holy city of Makkah, where his brother Prince Khaled is governor, the Royal Court said.
Top officials in the kingdom's longtime ally Washington said Prince Saud would be missed.
"Generations of American leaders and diplomats benefited from Prince Saud's thoughtful perspective, charisma and poise, and diplomatic skill," President Barack Obama said in a statement.
"He was committed to the importance of the US-Saudi relationship and the pursuit of stability and security in the Middle East and beyond, and his legacy will be remembered around the world."
John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, called Prince Saud "a man of vast experience, personal warmth, great dignity".
The official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Friday reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had called the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, "expressing sorrow" at Prince Saud's death.
Citing statements from Prince Saud's counterparts in the UAE and Kuwait, as well as Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayyeb, the head of Egypt's Al Azhar, the agency said officials paid tribute to a "man of peace, (a) balanced and moderate thinker."
British Prime Minister David Cameron said he and others had benefited from Prince Saud's "great wisdom in international affairs over his long years of service".
Prince Saud "worked tirelessly for peace and stability in the Middle East", French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), mourned the death of Prince Saud, who dedicated a life time serving his country and Arab and Islamic causes.
Secretary-General of the OIC, Iyad Ameen Madani, expressing his deep sadness at the passing away of Prince Saud, said that for four decades, Prince Saud was the flagship of Saudi diplomacy and always in the front lines defending and promoting Arab and Muslim interests.
"His wisdom, clear vision, through understanding and full grasp of the issues will be sorely missed," he added.
Prince Saud oversaw Saudi Arabia's emergence as a major diplomatic player, and had to deal with regional turmoil including civil war in Lebanon, and the 1991 Gulf War in which US-led forces used Saudi Arabia as a launchpad. He maintained a focus on relations with the West.
Prince Saud served under four kings, and took his final oath of office in March after King Salman acceded to the throne following the death of King Abdullah, when Prince Saud was in the US for back surgery.
His back troubles forced him to drop his hobbies of driving cars and taking desert trips.
He was first named top diplomat in October 1975, seven months after his father, King Faisal, was assassinated by a nephew.
Another of Saud's brothers, Prince Turki, was a longtime intelligence chief who served briefly as ambassador to Washington.
Upon his retirement, Prince Saud was replaced as foreign minister by Washington ambassador Adel Al Jubeir, reflecting a shift to a younger generation of Saudi leaders.