PRINCE SULTAN IBN ABDUL AZIZ, SECOND DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, MINISTER OF DEFENSE AND AVIATION AND INSPECTOR GENERAL. KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA- 1928 Quote: RThose who desire to see divisions in the Royal Family are in for a big disappointment because the Royal Family is solidly united behind Crown Prince Abdullah, Deputy Premier and National Guard Commander, to carry out the duties assigned to him by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques (King Faud).S Personal Narrative: I was born in the capital city of Riyadh in 1928, the son of Hassa Bint Ahmad al-Sudairi and the most influential son of the 54 sons fathered by King Abdul-Aziz al-Saud (the founder of Saudi Arabia). My brother is King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud and my step-brother is Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy prime minister and commander of the National Guard. Currently, due to King FahdUs failing health, there are rumors of familial internal struggles over the succession of power. Yet, Rour family is Muslim and because of our deep faith, the more someone tries to hurt us, the more we stick with each other.S My sons have also remained an important part of my political life. During the Gulf Crisis, my son Prince Bandar ibn Sultan ibn Abdul Aziz was the ambassador to the United States while my other son Prince Khalid ibn Sultan ibn Abdul Aziz was the commander of Saudi forces with the UN Coalition. Due to my sons political prestige, I have extra military and political support from the regular forces of Saudi Arabia. My brother Prince Salman ibn Abdul Aziz al-Saud, the Governor of Riyadh province, also supports me strongly, especially in my advancement to become King. Yet, I support my step-brother Crown Prince Abdullah who was appointed by King Fahd to govern Saudi Arabia in his absence. My political career began after I graduated from the Royal Court. In 1953, I received my first post as the Governor of Riyadh province. It was also at this time that I was included as a cabinet member of the newly formed Council of Ministers. In 1955, I became minister of agriculture and became in charge of the Ministry of Communications. Today, I am the president of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs and vice president of the Supreme Council of Higher Education. In addition, I head the GCC or Gulf Cooperation Council which is made up of six Gulf Arab states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates). The purpose of this organization is to secure the defense of the Gulf states from hostile aggressors, such as Iraq and resolve any internal disputes. It initially was formed in 1981 as a Rsecurity response to the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the Iraq-Iran warS. My main duties as Minister of Defense and Aviation is to be the spokesperson for Saudi Arabia in diplomatic negotiations with other Defense Ministers of the World. Currently, I am in negotiations with Yasar Arafat of the PLO; Dr. Abdul Aziz Abdul Ghani, Prime Minister of Yemen; Mr. Jomo Dice, South African Minister of Defense, and William Perry, Defense Secretary of the United States. Besides securing negotiations and establishing peace with some of these men, I am also in charge of Aerial Navigation of Saudi Arabia. Recently, we just acquired 61 aeroplanes from McDonnell Douglas and Boeing for $7 billion dollars. IUm also heavily into philanthropic work. I just recently donated SR 39 million of my own finances to build a Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz City that will help house and rehabilitate elderly and low-income Saudi Arabians. Besides issuing my own philanthropic works, I inaugurate and oversee my brotherUs King FaudUs efforts to better Saudi Arabia. WHAT OTHERS THINK OF ME: IRAN: Irani-Saudi relations are beginning to open up despite the previous politically tense relationship. Mahmoud Mohammadi, spokesperson for IranUs foreign ministry, stated that Rwe (Iran and Saudi Arabia) regard cooperation between the Islamic states to be in the interest of the Persian Gulf regionS. YEMEN: Prince Sultan and Yemen foreign minister Abdul Karim al-Iryani discussed border disputes and other pertinent issues in a joint Saudi-Yemen commission. Talks concerning military build-ups near the border in the past few months have made peace wary for the Gulf States. Yet, Prince Sultan remarked RThere is goodwill and good intentions to clear the atmosphere between two countries; and I wish to confirm that the two peoples are one people, the armies are one and the leadership is jointly held, and there is nothing to worry about.S Yemen poses a threat to Saudi ArabiaUs dominant position as an oil producer in the Gulf. PALESTINE: Prince Sultan and President Yassar Arafat met on January 15, 1996 to discuss the problems of Palestine and the peace process. Arafat thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for support of the Palestinian struggle stating: RWe have become accustomed to such kind gestures from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which has always backed us.S UNITED STATES: Prince Sultan is highly backed by the United States. During the Gulf War, Prince Sultan supported the deployment of US forces in Saudi Arabia . As a result, the Sultan has been seen as a pro-west figure in the Saudi government in comparison to Crown Prince Abdullah. Any attempts on the part of Abdullah to limit western influence in Saudi Arabia would then lead to a US backing of the Prince SultanUs birthright for the Kingdom. JORDAN: On February 12, 1996, King Hussein of Jordan arrived in Saudi Arabia to discuss bilateral relations with Crown Prince Abdullah and Prince Sultan. Hussein left stating that R two countries were based on mutual understanding and coordination with the aim of serving their best interests and those of Arab and Islamic nations.S