RIYADH, Feb 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Saudi Arabia named a princess
as its first woman ambassador to the United States, a key appointment as the fallout over journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder tests relations between the allies.
Princess Rima bint Bandar replaced Prince Khalid bin Salman, the younger
brother of the powerful crown prince who was appointed vice defence minister in a flurry of late-night royal decrees announced on state media.
The reshuffle comes as Saudi Arabia seeks to quell an international outcry
over Khashoggi’s murder last October in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul,
which strained relations with its key ally Washington.
Princess Rima faces hostile US lawmakers who have threatened tough action against Saudi Arabia over the brutal killing amid claims that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was personally responsible.
The Saudi government has denied he had anything to do with the murder of
Khashoggi, a royal insider-turned-critic who was a columnist with the
Washington Post.
Princess Rima, the daughter of a former long-time ambassador to the US,
has been a leading advocate of female empowerment in the kingdom.
The princess previously worked at the kingdom’s General Sports Authority,
where she led a campaign to increase women’s participation in sports.
Princess Rima becomes the first female ambassador in Saudi history and
the first female with a rank of minister — a strong signal to the
integration of women into the government and workforce.
Prince Khalid, a son of the king who served as ambassador since 2017, had
been expected to leave Washington for some time — particularly after the
global outcry over Khashoggi tarnished the kingdom’s reputation.
His new appointment as deputy defence minister comes as a military
coalition led by Saudi Arabia remains bogged down in a four-year conflict in neighbouring Yemen.
A separate royal decree on Saturday ordered a one-month salary bonus for
frontline military officials on the kingdom’s southern border.
Prince Khalid, a former Saudi air force pilot, takes his post a year after
the crown prince — who also serves as the defence minister — announced a
military reform plan and a dramatic overhaul of top defence commanders.
A key challenge for Princess Rima will be to win over US lawmakers, who
earlier this month voted overwhelmingly to end American involvement in the Saudi war effort in Yemen, dealing a rebuke to President Donald Trump who has publicly thrown his support behind the crown prince. — NNN-AGENCIES
