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New heir to the throne confirmed

Ap
Sunday 30 October 2011 23:52 GMT
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The Saudi King has named the conservative Interior Minister as the new crown prince.

Prince Nayef bin Abdel-Aziz Al Saud, 78, is known for cracking down on Islamist militants and resisting moves toward greater openness in the conservative kingdom.

He was named on state television as heir to the throne following the death last week of Crown Prince Sultan.

Prince Nayef, who was also named Vice-Prime Minister, would assume the throne on the death of King Abdullah, 87.

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