Arab leaders pray with Saudi King for late crown prince

Arab leaders attend funeral prayers for Crown Prince Nayef Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz,  led prayers on Sunday, in front of crowds attending the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) in Mecca to perform salat  al-Janazah ( Funeral prayers) for the late Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, who died on Saturday in Geneva.
The 89 year-old Saudi king, seated on a chair, offered prayers for Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz.
Prayers were attended by Kuwait's Prince Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, head of the Supreme Council of Egyptian Armed Forces, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, former Lebanese PM Saad Hariri, in addition to a number of leaders of Arab and Islamic countries.
The Saudi crown prince died in Geneva, Switzerland at the age of 78 years, where he had been on holiday and undertaking medical examinations.
Prince Nayef was buried in an ordinary tomb in Mecca in the Cemetery of Justice, a graveyard  for Najdi families buried in Hijaz.
Prince Nayef is the first Saudi crown prince to be buried in Mecca along with Prince al-Saud III, a son of King Abdul Aziz and Prince Mansour bin Abdul Aziz, former defence minister, the former prince of Mecca Majid bin Abdul Aziz in addition to some princes and princesses who were grandchildren of King Abdul Aziz, most notably Prince Abdullah Al Faisal.
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz is due to call a meeting with the Allegiance Council, headed by Prince Mishaal bin Abdul Aziz, to select the successor to Prince Nayef, who took over in November 2011 after the death of his brother Sultan bin Abdul Aziz in the United States of America where he had been on a medical trip.
The general consensus in Saudi Arabia, is that the current defence minister,  76 year-old Prince Salman, one of the sons of Saudi Arabia's founder Abdul-Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al-Saud, is the most likely candidate for the post of the Crown prince.
The late crown prince and minister of interior Prince Nayef Abdul Aziz,  led a campaign against an al-Qaeda affiliate in Saudi Arabia after the attacks of September 11 in 2001 in the United States.
The plane carrying the body of  Prince Nayef arrived at King Abdul Aziz Airport in Jeddah.
Saudi newspapers have been published with black edges as a sign of mourning.  Pictures of the late crown prince are spread throughout the first pages carrying headlines such as "Tamer of Terrorism " and "Prince of Safety and Security"  "Goodbye Naif" and "Hero of Victory against Terrorism and Smuggling."
Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, expressed deep sadness for the death of Prince Naif and offered his condolences to Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, pointing out that the crown prince had devoted his life to promoting security in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and made a major contribution to the establishment of the United Nations Center for Counter-Terrorism in Saudi Arabia.
US President Barack Obama also expressed his condolences for the death of Prince Nayef and praised him  in an official statement for helping to fight the war against terrorism and strengthening US-Saudi relations.
The defence policy of the late Prince has been globally recognised as a unique model and a success in the fight against terrorism.
Nayef served as the minister of interior and was the first crown prince in the history of Saudi Arabia to be appointed by the Allegiance Council.
Observers considered him as the most important amongst those who have sought to raise the level of cooperation in Arab security, and he succeeded in accomplishing the Arab Convention against Terrorism adopted by Arab interior and justice ministers.
Prince Nayef  also  implemented  a "counselling" programme for detainees under investigation before trial.