Haitham bin Tariq takes oath as Oman's new sultan

Oman said Saturday Haitham bin Tariq al-Said took the oath of allegiance as the country's new sultan after the death of longtime ruler Qaboos.

Sultan Qaboos died on Friday at the age of 79 after a long battle with illness.

State television said authorities had opened a letter by Qaboos naming his successor, without elaborating, before announcing Haitham bin Tariq as the new ruler.

"Haitham bin Tariq was sworn in as the new sultan of the country…after a meeting of the family which decided to appoint the one who was chosen by the sultan," the government said in a Twitter post.

Thousands of Omanis gathered at the Sultan Qaboos Mosque where funeral prayers were held for the late ruler before noon Saturday.

Omani authorities declared a three day of national mourning with flags to be flown at half-mast for 40 days over the sultan's death.

In his first address to the nation, Sultan Haitham vowed to maintain his country's neutral diplomacy.

"We will continue to follow in the same course the late sultan adopted…embracing foreign policies based on peaceful co-existence among peoples and countries without any interference in the domestic affairs of other states," he said in a speech on state television.

"We will continue as always…contributing and calling for peaceful and amicable solutions for all disputes," he said.

Qaboos had ruled Oman since 1970 and was the eighth sultan of the House of Al Said. He was the longest-serving monarch among the recent Arab rulers.

The late sultan was credited for modernizing his country, using the oil money to build roads and hospitals and develop infrastructure.