SAUDI ROYAL FAMILY UNITES AMID CRISIS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01554R003300140037-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 6, 2004
• Sequence Number: 37
• Publication Date: April 7, 1980
• Content Type: MAGAZINE

25X1 Approved For Release 2005/01/13 : CIA-RDP80BO1554R003300140037-5
Approved For Release 2005/01/13 : CIA-RDP80BO1554R003300140037-5
 Approved For Release 2005/01/13 : CIA-RDP80B01554R003300140037-5
IA MICLx U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
ON PAM33- -- 7 April 1980
\Heirs of a desert warrior run
the oil-rich nation as a
private realm. But with the
modern world pressing in,
big changes are in the wind.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia
Hemmed in by trouble from all sides,
the royal family that rules this desert
kingdom is closing ranks in a concerted
effort to cope with zealots at home and
an oil-hungry world outside.
Even with its vital oil reserves-the
richest on earth-Saudi Arabia has lit-
tle to cheer about.
King Khalid, 66, suffers from a seri-
ous heart ailment, and his days on the
throne could be numbered. Moslem
radicals and even some young military
men are questioning royal rule.
Turmoil in Iran, the Soviet invasion
of Afghanistan and a strong Russian
presence in the neighboring Marxist
nation of South Yemen raise serious
questions about the country's security.
On one side, the United States pres-
sures the House of Saud to keep oil out-
put high and prices low. On the other,
radical Arab states want Riyadh to use
its oil weapon against Washington in
order to destroy U.S.-sponsored peace
negotiations between Egypt and Israel.
Mainly because of health problems,
King Khalid has long given up his at-
tempts to govern Saudi Arabia's day-to-
day affairs. That has been the job of 59-
year-old Crown Prince Fahd, who has
been chosen as Khalid's successor.
With the King the symbol of the Saud
dynasty, the royal family's
rule over Saudi Arabia is
near absolute and until re-
cently was troubled only
by the maneuvering for
power of rival princes.
Royal complacency was
shattered last November,
however, when a force of
Moslem zealots seized the.
Great Mosque in Mecca,
the holiest shrine in this
puritanically religious Is-
lamic country.
The takeover, discovery
of caches of illegal weap-
ons in desert villages and
realization that there is
budding. political opposi-
tion in this country jolted
the Saudi princes and
drew them together in a joint determi-
nation to set the situation right.
In the aftermath of the Mecca battle,
rival princes firmed up the line of suc-
cession to the throne, and Fahd tried to
quiet unrest by promising the country
its first constitution.
If he follows through, it will be a rad-
ical shift for Saudi Arabia, described by
a Western diplomat as "the only fam-
ily-owned enterprise recognized at the
U.N." The House of Saud is all perva-
sive in this nation of 7.8 million people.
One of every 2,000 Saudis is a full-
fledged prince. An elite of 150 senior
princes dominates every level of com-
merce, government and the military.
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Founder of the dynasty was a Bedou-
in warrior named Abdel Aziz, better
known internationally as Ibn Saud,
who set out on horseback in 1902 with
40 companions and a dream of con-
quering a country half the size of the
U.S. east of the Mississippi. It took him
30 years to subdue the scattered Arabi-
an tribes and to mold a nation.
To insure the loyalty of his enemies,
Ibn Saud took wives from each con-
quered tribe. Before he died in 1953,
he had fathered at least 40 sons, includ-
ing Khalid and Fahd.
Ibn Saud was succeeded by King
Saud, who was forced to abdicate in
1964 in favor of Faisal, who in turn was
assassinated by a deranged nephew in
1975. Then Khalid took over. In all,
there are more than 4,000 Saudi
princes and almost as many princesses.
Loosening grip? Recent years have
brought changes to Saudi Arabia that
threaten to loosen the royal grip. An
infusion of oil wealth-90 billion dol-
lars a year-not only poses a danger to
traditional Islamic values embraced by
most Saudis, but it has spawned an edu-
cated, well-to-do middle class that
seeks a larger role in government.
In theory, the King owns everything
in his realm. He consults no parliament
of outsiders. Decisions are made by a
royal council where family factions
push and shove to get their way. Pri-
vate though it is, the council lately has
begun to feel pressure from nonroyal
sources, including religious leaders and
a sizable technocracy that has grown
up with the oil industry.
Western experts believe that Fahd
may be the most capable and experi-
enced of all the princes. Ile has been
the actual Saudi leader for years, in
part because of political savvy and
partly because of Khalid's retiring na-
King Khalid plays shrinking role in running
day-to-day affairs of Saudi nation.
Approved For Release 2005/01/13 : CIA-RDP80B01554R003300140037-C5C-11T10D