IN BRIEF: Saudi king sacks two ministers

Saudi king sacks two ministers

Riyadh - King Fahd ousted his oil and finance ministers in Saudi Arabia's most significant leadership shakeup since he came to power in 1982. The oil minister, Hisham Nazer, was replaced by Ali bin Ibrahim al-Naimi, president and chief executive of Saudi Aramco.

Mohammed Abalkhail, the finance and planning minister, was replaced by Suleiman bin Abdel-Aziz al-Sulaim, who became minister for finance and national economy, and Abdel-Wahab bin Abdel-Salam al-Attar, named as planning minister No reasons were given; however, the oil-based economy has encountered difficulties since the Gulf War. AP