Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Britain's Prime Minister
David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande and Japan's Crown
Prince Naruhito will visit on Saturday and Sunday to offer
condolences.
Obama will cut short a visit to India to pay his respects instead of
Vice President Joe Biden, who had been scheduled to fly in from
Washington, the White House said on Saturday.
Muslim leaders paid their respects on Friday at Abdullah's funeral
in Riyadh.
Some international human rights groups, meanwhile, have called on
Western leaders to condemn Saudi Arabia's record of crushing dissent
and depriving women and foreign workers of rights instead of
praising its late king.
Salman takes charge in Saudi Arabia at a time of deep uncertainty in
the kingdom, surrounded by a region in tumult and nervous about both
Iranian influence and the spread of Islamist militants.
The kingdom's role in orchestrating Arab support for joint action
with Western countries against the Islamic State group has won
praise in Washington, while its role as biggest oil exporter is
particularly important at this time of market instability.
Saudi jets have bombed IS targets in Syria, its top clerics have
issued repeated denunciations of the militant group despite
similarities between its ideology and Wahhabism, and the police have
detained thousands of militant suspects in the past decade.
Salman pledged on Friday to maintain the kingdom's policies and kept
most of Abdullah's cabinet, including the oil, finance and foreign
affairs ministers, in place.
Western countries also value the kingdom as an important market for
their defense industries and Salman quickly moved to appoint his son
Prince Mohammed, 35, as his own successor as Defence Minister,
responsible for big arms contracts.
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Saudi Arabia observes no official period of mourning, in keeping
with the ascetic traditions of its official Wahhabi school of Sunni
Islam, but the royal court has announced that it will receive
condolences and pledges of allegiance until Sunday.
Late on Friday state television showed princes, Wahhabi clerics,
tribal chiefs, military leaders, major businessmen and other
dignitaries crowding the royal palace to kiss King Salman's shoulder
or hand.
The king's rapid appointments of half-brother Muqrin, 69, as Crown
Prince and nephew Mohammed bin Nayef, 55, as Deputy Crown Prince,
appeared to resolve for many years to come speculation that
succession disputes might destabilize the ruling family.
(Reporting By Angus McDowall Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
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