Muslims need unity the most, says King Salman

RIYADH: In his first public statement as the new ruler, 79-year-old King Salman on Friday pledged to keep Saudi Arabia on a steady course and remain, with God´s strength, attached to the straight path that the state had walked since its establishment.

King Salman called for “unity and solidarity” among Muslims and vowed to work in “the defence of the causes of our nation”.“I pray to God to give me support,” Salman said, wearing a dark, gold-fringed cape as he read from a binder in a wood-paneled room.


“We will remain with God’s strength attached to the straight path that this state has walked since its establishment by King Abdul Aziz bin Saud and by his sons after him,” Salman said in a televised speech.

“The thing the Islamic Ummah (nation) most needs is its unity and solidarity and we will continue in this country to undertake all that can achieve unity... and the defence of the causes of our nation,” the king said.

The new king’s profile was updated on his official Twitter account, where he wrote: “I ask God to help me succeed in my service of the dear [Saudi] people.”

Salman´s comments come as war ravages parts of the Arab world including Libya, Syria and Iraq.Saudi Arabia, along with its Gulf neighbours, has joined a US-led air campaign against the Islamic State group which has seized parts of Syria and neighbouring Iraq.