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Oman swears in successor to Sultan Qaboos

Oman's Minister of Heritage and Culture Haitham bin Tariq al-Said has been sworn in as new ruler of the Arab country after the death of his cousin Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said.

As Reported by Qods News Agency (Qodsna) "Haitham bin Tariq was sworn in as the new sultan of the country... after a meeting of the family which decided to appoint the one who was chosen by the sultan," the Omani government said in a tweet on Saturday.

 

Meanwhile, state television broadcast images of funeral procession in the capital, Muscat, amid tight security.

 

The casket was carried into Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, where people joined prayers inside.

 

The new sultan, Haitham bin Tariq, stood in front of the coffin, which was draped in the Omani flag.

 

Haitham had been the first head of Oman's football federation in the early 1980s, and the undersecretary of the ministry of foreign affairs for political affairs before becoming the culture minister in the mid-1990s.

 

Sultan Qaboos, the Arab world's longest-serving ruler, died Friday aged 79.

 

“With great sorrow and deep sadness... the royal court mourns His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who passed away on Friday,” said a statement from the royal court.

 

Muscat announced three days of national mourning after the Sultan’s death.

 

The Omani Constitution requires the royal family to choose a new sultan within three days of the throne falling vacant. Should that fail, a letter written by Sultan Qaboos will be opened before military and government officials revealing his choice for a successor.

 

Sultan Qaboos had been ill for some time and was believed to have been suffering from colon cancer.

 

Last month, he returned home after undergoing medical checks and treatment in Belgium.

 

The sultan rose to power in the former British protectorate in a 1970 coup that was assisted by London.