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AFP/Riyadh
World leaders converged on Saudi Arabia yesterday to offer condolences following the death of King Abdullah, with US President Barack Obama cutting short a trip to India to pay respects.
Obama will travel to Riyadh on Tuesday to meet new King Salman, the White House said.
One after another, foreign aircraft landed at a Riyadh military base where leaders from Africa, Europe and Asia descended a red-carpeted ramp to be welcomed by Saudi officials and served a traditional cup of Arabic coffee.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohamed Javad Zarif made a rare visit to the kingdom to offer condolences, television pictures showed.
Others guests included French President Francois Hollande, Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani, Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Spain’s King Felipe VI and Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
Prince Charles and Prime Minister David Cameron came from Britain, while Russia sent Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
They gathered at the Al Yamamah Palace, the royal court, to line up and greet King Salman and his heir Crown Prince Muqrin, television pictures showed.
Outside, a helicopter patrolled overhead and four lanes of cars—everything from luxury Bentleys to everyday models—inched towards the palace grounds carrying Saudi well-wishers past guards with pistols strapped to their thighs.
Away from the palace and nearby roadblocks, shops were open and life continued with almost no indication that a new era had begun, except for billboards expressing condolences for Abdullah’s death.
The government declared today a holiday so citizens throughout the country could offer condolences and pledge symbolic allegiance to their new monarch.
Abdullah died on Friday at the age of about 90 after being hospitalised with pneumonia.
World leaders have praised him as a key mediator between Muslims and the West.
“Saudi Arabia is a partner, both economic and political,” Hollande said before his arrival in Riyadh with Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
Other presidents and prime ministers were present on Friday for Abdullah’s traditionally simple funeral and burial.
Obama paid tribute to Abdullah as a “valued” ally while the State Department indicated co-operation between Washington and Riyadh would continue.
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