After the Abrupt Resignation of the Ambassador, Saudi Arabia Names 9/11 PR Man As New Envoy

December 22, 2006 1:01 PM

From Our Sources:

Saudi Arabia has chosen the man who was charged with disassociating the royal family from al Qaeda in the wake of the 9/11 attacks as Riyadh's new ambassador to the U.S.

Adel al-Jubeir, 44, currently a foreign policy advisor to King Abdullah, is well-known in the Capitol for his work following the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

According to U.S. officials, Saudi Arabia has asked the U.S. for its consent to have al-Jubeir serve as the Saudi ambassador. If the U.S. agrees to his appointment, al-Jubeir would fill the vacancy suddenly left by Prince Turki al-Faysal, who resigned 15 months after he started serving, as previously reported by "The Blotter."

According to that report, even close confidantes of Saudi Ambassador Turki al Faysal were surprised by his abrupt resignation and departure from Washington, D.C., yesterday.

Prince Turki, a former head of Saudi intelligence and a powerful player in the Saudi royal family, had only been in Washington for 15 months when he gathered his staff on Friday and announced that he would leave his post....