Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan will constitute the kingdom at the upcoming Arab League summit on behalf of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom doctors have asked to travel, the royal court said.
The royal medical team on Sunday begged the crown prince, also known as MBS, “to avoid long-haul flights” because of the possible influence of air pressure in his ear, according to a court statement.
The crown prince, in a call on Saturday, apologized to Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune for not attending the summit scheduled for Algeria on Nov. 1, the first since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Arab and French media.
The Arab League, founded in 1945, represents 22 nations from the Middle East and North Africa, though Syria has been suspended amid its long war. Although unified in calling for Palestinians to have an independent state, the framework has also been largely fragmented and unable to enforce its mandates.
MBS, who rose by force under his father, King Salman, 86, named crown prince in 2017, replacing Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, a once-tough figure who led counterterrorism efforts by Saudi Arabia and a close U. S. ally.
Its strength caused the kingdom to go through immediate changes, such as allowing women to drive and open movie theaters while loosening the grip of the ultraconservatives.
He also introduced an alleged crackdown on corruption that targeted the kingdom’s richest men and led an Arab coalition criticized around the world that intervened militarily in Yemen, the poorest Arab nation.
Recently, the prince received a strong complaint from the United States about a band in oil production through the Saudi-led OPEC cartel.