CONFILINTTAL 11. In conclusion - what of the Succession? Assuredthough this is, how else might the Al Saud seek to safeguard their power and position? The common ploy usedby foreigners in the cocktail party game of "Find theRuler" is to line up the "Sudairi Seven" versus the Rest.Those who are better informed avoid both the sobriquetand the implication of such a division in the Al Saud and,more correctly I think, start from the position of the AlFahd leading the Rest in the survival of the Al Saud. Butrelationships in the latter are so involved (made so bymarriage and other circumstances) that the possible variations of this accepted line-up are legion. Amongst thosewhich will affect it, I think that the following might beworth keeping an eye on: a. The position and power of Prince Sultan ma ares Whilst Fahd seems to be generally accepted as theman who will be primus inter pares (if not, in time,the King) of those who will rule the country in theSuccession, his words speak louder than his deeds.He is "little-friend-to-all-the-world" - the velvetglove of Al Saud - but to his own people he is auto-,cratic to a degree which is at odds with his occasionallip service to reform. He is not renowned withineither the Al Saud or the country for his applicationto affairs of state. Sultan is more active and his influence more widelyfelt, extending far outside his responsibilities asMinister of Defence and Aviation. Family precedenceapart, he is King Faisal's right hand man at home andon the latter's visits abroad - his is the key positionand his position is reminiscent of Faisal's in thereigns of King Abdul Aziz and King Saud. - 8 -CONFIDENTIAL
