RIYADH/RAMALLAH — Saudi Arabia on Saturday welcomed the reform measures announced by the Palestinian leadership. The reforms included the creation of the posts of Vice President of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Vice President of the State of Palestine, and the appointment of Hussein Al-Sheikh to the new role. In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Kingdom expressed its wishes for Al-Sheikh's success and said the reforms would strengthen Palestinian political efforts and contribute to securing the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the right to self-determination through the establishment of an independent state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. The PLO announced Saturday that President Mahmoud Abbas had nominated Hussein Al-Sheikh, a close ally, as his deputy and potential successor. Al-Sheikh, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, was also nominated for the role of Vice President of the organization. His appointment, backed by the PLO's key governing bodies, positions him as a leading candidate in any future presidential election or, if elections cannot be held, as Abbas's de facto successor.
