The longest -reigning leader of the modern Arab world , Sultan Qaboos , has died at the age of 79, the royal court said Saturday .

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

Qaboos , who has ruled since 1970 when he deposed his father in a palace coup, had been ill for some time and had been believed to be suffering from colon cancer .
He left no apparent heir . He was unmarried and had no children or brothers .

It is not clear who will succeed Qaboos , whose country has a distinct method of choosing the next ruler .

– Successor – According to the Omani constitution , the royal family shall , within three days of the throne falling vacant , determine the successor.

If the family does not agree on a name, the person chosen by Qaboos in a letter addressed to the royal family will be the successor.

The sultan should be a member of the royal family, as well as “ Muslim, mature , rational and the legitimate son of Omani Muslim parents ” .

Local experts say that more than 80 men meet the criteria , but one name stands out : Asad bin Tariq .

Tariq , 65, had been appointed deputy prime minister for international relations and cooperation affairs in 2017 .

The move was seen as a clear message of support to the sultan ’ s cousin and “ special representative” since 2002 .

Other potential successors include two other cousins of the sultan — Haitham bin Tariq , 65, the heritage and culture minister , and Shihab bin Tariq , 63 , who was a close adviser to the sultan.

– Discreet mediator – Qaboos transformed the Arabian Peninsula nation from a backwater into a modern state while pursuing a moderate but active foreign policy .

Having played a role in Iran ’ s nuclear deal with world powers while preserving its membership in the Saudi -led Gulf Cooperation Council , Oman has emerged as the Gulf ’ s discreet mediator.

“ He was a stable force in the Middle East and a strong US ally . His Majesty had a vision for a modern, prosperous, and peaceful Oman , and he willed that vision into reality, ” former US president George W . Bush said in a message of condolences paying tribute to Qaboos.

The sultan’ s death comes amid increased tensions between Tehran and Washington , who on Friday piled new sanctions on the Islamic republic following the killing of a top Iranian leader in Iraq .

The sanctions marked the latest salvo in a US -Iranian confrontation that risked sliding into war a week ago with the deadly US drone attack on general Qasem Soleimani , by some measures the second most influential person in Iran .

Unlike other Arab states , Qaboos did not contest Egypt ’ s 1979 peace treaty with Israel , opening a trade office in Tel Aviv in the mid -1990 s — shuttered in 2000 during a Palestinian uprising .

In October 2018 , Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held surprise talks with Qaboos in Muscat .

It remains to be seen whether the next Omani ruler will take the same moderate approach in a region often in turmoil.
AFP

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