SAUDI ARABIA, the Arab world and beyond lost a leading light in the person of Prince Saud Al-Faisal, one of the world's best known and most respected political figures and whose many accomplishments include being the world's longest serving foreign minister. In the job for 40 years starting in 1975, Prince Saud naturally was involved in some titanic moments and periods in history: the Israeli invasions of Lebanon in 1978, 1982 and 2006; the eruption of the Palestinian intifadas in 1987 and 2000; the eight-year Iraq-Iran war; the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990; the 2001 Sept. 11 attacks in the US; and the US-led war on Iraq in 2003. More recently, Prince Saud had to deal with Iran's growing influence in the region, the civil war in Syria and Iraq, the subsequent scourge of Daesh (so-called IS), and the fighting in Yemen and chaos in Libya, offspring of the Arab Spring. Prince Saud's role was not confined to representing his country's policy but he also helped shape the Kingdom's foreign policy. In 1989 he helped negotiate the agreement that ended Lebanon's 15-year civil war. Prince Saud publicly argued against the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, forecasting chaos in Iraq and in the region. His famous quote that if regime change solves one problem “it will create five more” still resonates and makes sense to this day. While Prince Saud opposed Iraq being attacked by the US, he was among the fiercest opponent of Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, making this iconic statement: “The invasion of an Arab country by another Arab country is not only not allowed but also immoral.” In 2002, Prince Saud espoused the late King Abdullah's biggest foreign policy initiative, the Arab peace plan, by which the Arabs would make peace with Israel and recognize its right to exist in return for a withdrawal from all occupied land. The thrust of the plan — by far, the biggest Arab initiative to date with regard to solving the long-standing Palestinian-Israeli crisis — was that all of Israel's might would never provide it with security and that only a pullout from all occupied Arab lands would do the trick. The plan never reached fruition thanks to the intransigence of successive Israeli governments. From the outset Prince Saud's career was eventful. He was selected foreign minister following the assassination of Prince Saud's father, the late King Faisal. His education and work in economics would help him to understand and steer the foreign policy of a country which has been the most important in oil production and a country that has managed to assume the role of a price setter of oil in the world market. When Abdullah, then crown prince, embarked on his trademark set of economic reforms in 2000, it was Prince Saud who drew on his Oil Ministry experience and worked with him to offer foreign energy firms access to Saudi gas fields. Prince Saud would serve under four kings, advancing the Kingdom's foreign policy before deciding to step down in April this year for health reasons. Having been in office for four decades, Prince Saud's political longevity is unparalleled in the world. As such, he was highly regarded in the diplomatic community, a charismatic leader with a sense of humor who was willing to talk to reporters, and could do so in seven languages. Prince Saud oversaw Saudi Arabia's emergence as a major diplomatic player and for this he will always be remembered. The Kingdom was indeed fortunate and in fact blessed to have such a distinguished political figure representing its interests at the highest international stages.
