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Tributes pour in for Saudi's former foreign minister Prince Saud

Riyadh - "Generations of American leaders and diplomats benefited from Prince Saud's thoughtful perspective, charisma and poise, and diplomatic skill," President Barack Obama said.

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 was 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 long-time ally Washington said 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 Saud "a man of vast experience, personal warmth, great dignity".
Citing statements from Saud's counterparts in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, as well as Shaikh 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 Saud's "great wisdom in international affairs over his long years of service".
Saud "worked tirelessly for peace and stability in the Middle East", French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said.