Kuwait´s ruler hospitalised, crown prince steps in

KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait´s crown prince stepped in as partial ruler on Saturday after the hospitalisation of the 91-year-old emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, state news agency KUNA said. "The crown prince (Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah) is to temporarily execute certain prerogatives of the emir," his half-brother, the head of state´s office announced, quoted by KUNA. The agency reported earlier that Sheikh Sabah, ruler of the oil-rich Gulf state since 2006, was hospitalised "to undergo medical tests". In September 2019, Sheikh Sabah underwent medical tests shortly after arriving in the United States, leading to a meeting with President Donald Trump being called off. The emir had his appendix removed in 2002, two years after having a pacemaker implanted. In 2007, he underwent urinary tract surgery in the United States. Sheikh Sabah argued last year for de-escalation in the Gulf as tensions surged between the US and Iran.

He is widely regarded as the architect of modern Kuwait´s foreign policy.

Sheikh Nawaf, 83, is an elder statesman who has held high office for decades, including the defence and interior portfolios.