Riyadh: A senior Saudi prince has termed the new succession law announced by King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz on Friday as the perfect path to ensuring a bright future for the country.

"The new rule will give the grandsons of King Abdul Aziz, founder of Saudi Arabia, their acquired rights in governance in future," said Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz.

In a statement issued here yesterday, Prince Talal said the new succession law guarantees the rights entitled to the grandsons of Saudi Arabia's founder.

He hoped that the new rules of succession set by King Abdullah would become "a good example for others".

"This sounds a clear signal to everybody that the reform drive being implemented in the kingdom would encompass the entire gamut of the governing system, prominently the constitutional reforms and the succession of rulers," he said.

He also drew attention to steps taken by the late King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz in this respect when he introduced the Basic Governing System in 1992.

Open for discussion

According to Prince Talal, the new succession law can be considered a "mandatory constitution". However, he noted that there is a possibility for open discussions on the details of the new rules. "According to my understanding of King Abdullah, he will welcome any concrete observation made in this regard and will take them into consideration if he found any merit in them," he said.

He said any constitution or rule of law in the modern world has inadequacies. "They have been subjected to frequent amendments or revisions. These inadequacies can be noticed only after they are put in force," he said.