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International News Title: Officials: Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Dies At New York Hospital (CNN) -- Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud died in New York early Saturday, officials said, raising succession questions in the key oil-producing country. Prince Sultan, the half-brother of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, died "outside the kingdom following an illness," the Saudi royal court said in a statement. Reports in recent years have indicated that Crown Prince Sultan was battling cancer. A burial is scheduled for Tuesday, the Interior Ministry said. Prince Sultan, thought to be in his 80s, was Saudi Arabia's minister of defense, and was one of the top figures in the Saudi kingdom. He's had various medical issues in recent years. In 2009, he was in New York for surgery for an undisclosed illness and had also flown to Morocco for medical treatment over the years. Saudi Crown Prince dies King Abdullah's half-brother was the desert kingdom's defense minister for decades, meeting regularly with visiting dignitaries. He took a leading role in Saudi Arabia's involvement in the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq, heading a coalition of about half a million troops from more than 30 countries. Of his many children, perhaps the best known internationally is Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia's former ambassador to the United States. Prince Bandar served as ambassador from 1983 to 2005 and was friends with the family of President George W. Bush. Saleh Al-Namla, a member of Saudi Arabia's Shura Council, said he would be missed. "Crown Prince Sultan lived his life in service of his country and also serving the Arab people and the people of Saudi Arabia," Al-Namla said. "He was very much loved by the country." International leaders also paid tribute to Crown Prince Sultan. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said his death was a great loss to the Saudi people, while British Prime Minister David Cameron said he was saddened by the news. "He had many friends in this country, and we have all benefited from his wisdom and expertise in international affairs over his long years of service to the Kingdom," Cameron said. "I know that the ties between our two countries will remain strong and that we will continue to work together for peace, prosperity and justice in the world." British Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "He served the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for many years with great dignity and dedication. His contribution to the prosperity and development of the kingdom will long be remembered." Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Jordan's King Abdullah II and Morocco's King Mohammad VI also expressed their condolences, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. Prince Sultan's death brings up succession questions, with some saying Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud could be the next crown prince. In 2009, King Abdullah appointed Prince Nayef as the country's second deputy prime minister amid rumors about his failing health. At the time, many Saudis took the appointment to mean that Prince Nayef was second in line to be king. In 2007, King Abdullah created a group called the Allegiance Council to make decisions on succession issues. It is unclear when this group, made up of members of the royal family, will make a decision on the next crown prince. Christopher Boucek, an associate in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said that it would be a natural step for Prince Nayef, as the second deputy prime minister, to be named crown prince. Prince Nayef has been the country's interior minister since 1975 and has a reputation as a conservative who is close to the religious establishment and is not very pro-Western, Boucek said. As interior minister, the prince has overseen the kingdom's counter-terrorism efforts, and Saudi Arabia is one of the only countries that has truly dismantled a domestic al Qaeda network, Boucek said. The Allegiance Council has not previously been used to decide succession issues, he added, and it is not yet clear if King Abdullah will choose to employ it on this occasion. CNN's Jamie Crawford, Mohammed Jamjoom, Nic Robertson and Rima Maktabi contributed to this report.
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