Saudi Arabia has named a princess as its first female ambassador to the United States, a key appointment as the fallout over journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder tests relations between the allies, The Guardian reports.
Princess Reema 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.
Prince Khalid’s appointment further centralises power in one branch of the ruling family after the crown prince took control of most levers of power and policy in the world’s top oil exporter.
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.
After initially denying no knowledge of Khashoggi’s disappearance, the kingdom finally acknowledged Saudi agents killed him inside the consulate, but described it as a rogue operation.
Princess Reema faces hostile US lawmakers who have threatened to take tough action against Saudi Arabia over the brutal killing amid claims that the crown prince Mohammed bin Salman – the de-facto ruler who also serves as the defence minister –...
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