This followed a press conference in Washington on 3 December at which Adel al-Jubeir, a senior foreign policy adviser to Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul-Aziz, defended the appointment. Prince Turki is one of a number of Saudi Arabians named in a law suit brought by families of people who died in the attacks on New York and Washington on 11 September 2001.

Prince Turki left the job of intelligence chief in August 2001. He succeeds Ghazi al-Gossaibi who has been appointed minister of water.

Al-Jubeir said at the press conference that Prince Turki's appointment as ambassador to London 'is a credit to Saudi Arabia. It is a validation of his expertise and his experience, and we believe that he will do a splendid job representing the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in England.'

Edmund O'Sullivan

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