saudi arabia feels around it. feels like they are in the eye of a storm. >> as a part of it we don't import that much oil to the united states. our role in this is to guarantee a flow of energy to europe and asia. >> because of its keystone nature flanged as it is by israel, other middle eastern countries and yemen, some of them problematic places do they get slack in their internal dealings and give to other countries. does the united states say certain things that we would be upfront about in other nations? >> this is not a binary ability or human rights. ali's organization human rights watch, amnesty international are keeping visibility on human rights issues in saudi arabia and the rest of the world. the challenge is how do you deal with it. what we found is human rights issues you are better dealing with them privately. women's rights religious freedom is a dialogue going on all the time. the fact it wasn't visible does not mean that the government doesn't agree with some of these issues. >> you are shaking y

shia saudis. since 2009 we've seen relations deteriorate. >> but now the stability the ruling class has enjoyed is under threat. not from looming poverty or possible up rising but from old age and potential succession problem. the country has recently buried two crown princes and now a king. prince salman is nearly 80. with his appointment the current prince has been created the first time to perhaps reduce the possibility of a succession crisis in the near future, but even he is nearly 70. the crown in saudi arabia passes among brothers before it goes to sons. in a few years the last direct son of the founder of saudi arabia will either have died or become incapacitated by age, which will leave several grandsons vying for the throne. the real test could be just around the corner. >> joining me now is peter salisbury. and with me is patty sagba. we were just talking about yemen a couple of moments ago. and i asked you about the saudis and minutes after you leave the set we get this news about the

saudis? >> it's difficult to tell. i don't expect so. it's difficult to imagine that the policy that was being followed was taken lightly. so i believe that a lot of thinking went into the process and that the saudis were very clear of mind when they decided to follow the rules that they did, in opec and oil strategy. >> well given what we're seeing with the oil prices around the world, do you think it's the wrong or right policy by the saudi? >> well, it depends on your perspective. if you were expecting prices to rise you have a completely different approach for this situation. if you are a consumer a country that is reliant on low prices of imports in terms of energy, oil, gas, et cetera then it's a different way to see things. in this situation, good news and bad news is strictly in the eye of the beholder. >> that's true indeed. let's talk about the doha round. it's the wto's big daddy. it's had some big problems. it's been going on since 2001. you have made some agreements but there are

saudi arabia's king abdullah has died. and a new king is solomon and promising continuity and calling for unity and solidarity in the muslim world. ♪ live from doha also coming up thailand's parliament votes to impeach foreign minister for her role in a controversial rice subsidy program. and turning a new page in u.s. cuba relations historic talks turn to normalizing ties between the two countries. ♪ world leaders started to arrive in saudi arabia for king abdul's funeral, 90-year-old ruler died in hospital after being admitted last month with a case of pneumonia and half brother 79-year-old prince solomon is the new king and has spoken on saudi television promising to continuing the policies of the predecessor and rob reports. >> translator: the world learns of the death of one of its few remaining absolute monarch, the path to power for abdul abdulaziz was shaped from the birth by tradition and conservatism. >> translator: the problems of the world are caused by people rejecting the principles of justice, terrorism, and

arabia because the saudis are playing a role that saudis from the d.c.c. have said the east is a red line for them. >> al jazeera continues to demand the release of our three colleagues imprisoned in egypt for 391 days. the three were falsely accused of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood, charges they deny. an appeals court has order add retrial. >> egypt's president al sisi would like to see the case against the al jazeera journalists resolved. here's what he had to say in davos at the world economic summit. >> we don't have any interest whatsoever to put any citizen under detention journalists or otherwise, outside the rule of law. there is a point also that i would like to highlight here, which is we are trying very hard after four years of turbulence to regain the rule of law and to uphold the independence of the judiciary. >> the number of people killed in violence in ukraine has now exceeded 5,000 since last april. that's an estimate by the united nation human rights office, that number includes at least 260 people killed in the past nine days.

becomes less reliant on saudi oil and saudi arabia becoming more assertive. it's fascinating to see how the late king is treated within the u.s. media very respectful materials, even though he was a vowed opponent of democracy and western conceptions of human rights these key american values but across the u.s. media today you wouldn't really know that there was much controversy about the king and his absolute monarchy inside saudi arabia, very much treated as a moderate reformer, a force of moderation across the u.s. today. >> thanks very much. that gives you an idea of how this news in saudi arabia is being digested all around the world. let's take a look now at the pass for royal suggestion session in saudi arabia. this is key now and for years to come. it's been clear. if you look at the parts of the family tree it shows how complex it could come in the future. abdullah was the latest of successors who reigned since 1953. it passes to king salman. hundreds of princes potentially in line for the throne, although the new king just appointed his nephew at de

the saudis were very upset. the relationship has been amend to a certain degree, and the word that is used is looking for continuity in the relationship. >> the talks with iran continue. >> right. >> fitfully at times but they continue. the fight against isil is still to be determined, but america seems all in in syria. where are the two countries still really far apart? >> well, i think obviously the israeli-palestinian conflict remains a sore point. with everything going on, this is still the fundamental issue in the middle east, and probably in the bilateral relationship with the united states and saudi. interestingly on the economic side officials say after this meeting today they did not speak to the two leaders specifically about oil prices but they did speak about oil stability within the energy sector itself. which is basically the same thing. they did not talk about the price at the bump at the neighborhood gas station but this move to keep up production, to keep the price of a barrel of oil at almost r

and saudi arabia.king solomon just announced to name his nephew prince mohamed believed to be the deputy crown prince of saudi arabia also and his son mohamed to be the defense minister of this country. today just he will receive people who will congratulations to him on becoming the head of the state of saudi arabia with other princes and the crown prince and also the deputy crown prince prince, prince mohamed, the minister of interior of saudi arabia. arabia. there is no really formal celebration or to have it in saudi arabia. that wouldn't be normal days in saudi arabia. the stock market would run and school will be open and all the bureaus will be open just after the weekend, so there is no really and normal posing of the country during these days. >> reporter: unlikely to be any great change in the way people are going about their business thanks very much it was good to get your insight into reaction there and get a sense of the mood in saudi arabia abdullah in riyadh. well now across the border

king abdullah was the sixth saudi monarch. the country's first ruler, unifying the desert kingdom in 1932. on his death in 1952 succession past to his sons. the eldest first. by the time he took the throne king abdullah was already in his 80s. in nearly a decade of ruling on behalf of his brother, he began opening the door to reform. the events of september 11 2001 crystallized the choice before the saudi royal family. 15 of the 19 al qaeda hijackers who attacked the united states were saudis. and al qaeda was also targeting the saudi establishment and its allies. under abdullah's leadership the country slowly squashed al qaeda, forcing the remnants underline, and sidelining radical preachers. at the same time the king began investing the country's oil wealth in creating jobs for the future. embarking on a massive building program. king abdullah economic city just one of several such mega projects creating cities from the ground up. providing not just accommodation for a workforce, but new industries an acknowledgement that oi

the saudi population is below the years of 50 years. they're disconnected from the tradition. they didn't see too much hope for them now. they compare themselves with all the young people all over the world, including the people including other states, and they find themselves on the short end of the stick. >> why haven't we seen changes in the kingdom? >> well, that's a good question. they tried to do that in 2011 but the time the people got up in the morning the roads were filled with tanks and the air with helicopters and soldiers were all over the place. the mosques were closed to them, so people could not even move from their quarters to demonstrate in the streets. it's an absolute police state. >> and an absolute monarchy. what do we know about king salman's view on reform compared to his predecessors. >> he's against--he has not even mention modernizing institutions. he is very--ex-an extremeist in his views. he said of himself and i have documentation on this, he thinks that wahadi islam is the true islam. he supports the islami

saudi is changing even in that. and they don't want their women to work in the mixed environment, but it's changing. there are a lot of women i'm very proud of taking the challenge and standing up for themselves and they want to make a change and it's really nice to's that. >> you're married to a californian. how did that go down in your small town with your conservative relatives? >> yes, i come -- he's a very nice guy. yeah it's difficult for them to accept outside of your tribe, let alone a californian but he won everybody in my family so that's good. >> you seem very patient and understanding of a system that must cause you at times to just get very angry? >> absolutely. when you go to an all men restaurant and you're not allowed as a woman, you feel ank richlt -- angry. it's important to relax. it's not about confrontation, it's about dialect. it's about moving forward and making changes. sometimes it's more daunting to go with the system and make the margins a little bit wider but i think it is more effective

all of these issues will play a major role in shaping the saudi role that everybody is looking at saudi arabia as a swing producer whether it's in the oil sector the saudi role leading the pack in syria and iraq and yemen, so everybody is looking at the new leadership now with a lot of calm and a lot of confidence that the new saudi leadership now will be continuing down the path of king abdullah's path that he left behind. >> and obviously very important at the moment that the gcc states are quite united along him after that issue you mentioned earlier about what was happening here in qatar, because for saudi arabia i should imagine going forward, it is still pushing back that shia concern that seems to be dominating the regional issues at the moment. >> yeah i mean clearly there is an ongoing cold war mentality between the -- the gulf countries, lead by saudi arabia the new regime now saudi arabia will continue the path against iran. iran that is playing now a major role as an expansionist in the region. the latest push by the iranians by their ally houthis taking over in a coup in a

that has to do more with the fact that the saudi government and the saudis monarchy has been increasinglyrmine iran. as iran continues to feel the pinch of some of these u.s.-led sanctions and part of the nuclear negotiations the saudi monarch kept the price of oil particularly low. that creates the big challenge for the iranian government which is very heavily dependent on oil. you'll probably see a slight spike as a result of this transition. that has to do more with uncertainty than it does having to do with a shortage or increase in supply. the uncertainty of transition is always going to be the big central question about saudi arabia and its stability. we're getting in -- when you talk about some of the saudi leadership and their ages this current king was anywhere between 90 to 91. the successor as well will be in his late 80s, so there is a serious question about the ages leadership of that monarchy and what will happen when the subsequent king takes power, who will become the crown prince? who will become the minister of defense? these are a lot of important questions that cut to

people were convinced that there would be religious dialog between sunni, saudi arabia and shia saudias and since 2009 it has went down against the shia. >> reporter: a blogger faces being floinged after being convicted at the villages and the latest punishment delayed and despite efforts at reform saudi arabia conservetism seems likely not to change rob with al jazeera. >>> reaction to the death has been coming in from around the world, u.s. president barack obama paid tribute to one of his allies in the region. as a leader he was always candid and had the courage of his convictions president obama said. one of those convictions was his stead fast and passionate belief in the u.s. saudi arabia relationship as a force for stability and security in the middle east and beyond. and speaking at the world economic forum the head of the arab league prized king abdoulla for his work. >> he was a father figure in the muslim world and had a lot of stability and the cooperation and promotion and cooperation among the other countries. his role in peace between and putting an end to the arab isra

and saudi arabian. now there have been suggestions today out in the press that the saudis aren't as relevant in washington because saudi oil is not as important to the american economy, and it's not as important, but there is a school of thought that says really this relationship has moved on. security is at the forefront. even though the u.s. and saudi arabian do not have common values they do have common interests, and they have many common enemies. >> that starts with the common interest of making sure that iran does not become a nuclear threat and saudi arabian is as fearful of that as much as israel is, u.s.' closestally. mike viqueira, patricia sagba we appreciate it. >> the national average price for gasoline is now $2.04 a gallon and it's expected to drop below $2 in the coming days. that is great news for americans filling up at the pump, but it is bad news for america's oil industry. energy sectors are getting cut and small towns like williston north dakota are taking a hit. they're trying to

because certainly in its origins, it was very much saudi money and saudi priests and saudi donations and in some ways again, the saudi version of islam that was globalized in the 1980s and '90s. is saudi arabia part of the problem or part of the solution? >> i think today it's genuinely part of the solution. in the sense that it's important both because you've got the two holy mosques there in saudi arabia and because in recent years, really under the leadership to be fair of king abdullah it's pursued an attempt to reach out across the faith divide and also taking a very strong position against extremism and post-9/11 which is i think the big shock to the kingdom. not only to us. they didn't really take a lot of security measures but they also looked very care from i at what was happening within their own society as well. so i think now as we speak saudi arabia is and has got to be indeed an ally in this fight. >> but one thing i wonder did he confront the religious establishment enough? i mean in saudi arabia you have this very hard-line religious establishment. the theory is that

what we expect to see a lot of the -- all of the important saudi princes returning to saudi arabia.s around the gulf attending. i was there when the king came to the thrown. prince charles of britain went to represent the queen. we will see other royals likely from europe going as well. they will have to get there quickly, because the funeral is expected to be today. it will be a very perfunctory affair. i was surprised when i watched the funeral literally the procession several hundred of the royals walking into the cemetery. the burial incredibly swift. literally, the coffin placed in the ground and the crowd moving on without barely waiting. there was no big ceremony at the grave. we will expect to see that. after that the new king will meet all the princes will come and say -- give him their condolences and congratulate him. we will expect the foreign dignitaries arriving perhaps prime ministers, presidents among them. it will be a very big affair. it was when king abdullah came to the thrown. there were expectations he would take the country forward and reform it in the way we

needs saudi arabia and saudi arabia needs the u.s. how do you think his death in the transition will play out? >> well again, when we talk about saudi arabia it's a black box. no one knows what goes on inside the royal family. we know what they want all of us and the world world to think, is that it's business as usual. they want everywhere to think this will be a smooth and orderly transition and signalled that last year. now he is the crown prince and they want is to be thought that the success is orderly, it's sorted. that is the image they'll project. what is going on inside the saudi arabia no one knows. no one knows what power and jockeying will go on there. especially with regards to what will happen. don't forget solm ark n is 80. lucram is 70. these are old leaders, and what's after lucram. this is where we get out of the immediate sons who founded saudi arabia. once we get out of sis sons we are into a branch of the family and it's a massive family. >> to the other story, yemen in turmoil. president hadi resigned. pushed out

a new rural in saudi arabia. could -- -- ruler in saudi arabia. >>> and john oates talks about making music alone and as parnlg of a legendary rock duo. >>> king abdullah of saudi arabia was laid to rest today. the new king salman has taken control, he faces a range of challenges both overseas and at home. human rights activists criticize saudi arabia on restriction of the rights of women and the public beating of a writer. roxana saberi has more. >> king abdullah build a university in his name where for the first time saudi men and women can study side by side. activists say the kingdom is still stifling and harsh about. women can't travel or marry without the permission of a male guardian and saudi arabia is the only country to ban women from driving. a ban some women have challenged by climbing behind the wheel. >> translator: the time has come for women to take charge of every speabilityevery aspect of their lines. getting from a to b is the minimum of a human right. >> reporter: also reported discrimination

between the saudi government and big oil if you will inside of saudi arabia, supporting terror groups like isis because of the threat of iran and wanting to make sure that the game, the playing board is being played the right way in favor of the saudis. i'm just curious on that of how good of an ally you really think they are when it comes to american interests in the middle east? >> i think we're pretty well aligned with the saudis. the saudis believe isis treats them as a mortal enemy. isis stated their main objective is to take over the cities of mecca and medina in saudi arabia. and become the real custodians of islam. so i think -- saudi arabia. very much aligned with us in that regard. jenna: what about what is going on in yemen today and the upheaval there just to south of saudi arabia's border? what do you think that means for saudi arabia and also what does it mean for us as well and our interests? >> there have been border skirmishes there for years and saudis have heavily involved in. they're looking building a wall across that border inaddition to the one across the iraqi

. >>> breaking news saudi arabia's king has died. he was one of the most influential and significant figures in the middle east and in the global economy. we'll take a look at what his passing means to the region and america. and tony blair talks to ali velshi about security in the face of extremism, and having a thick skin in the face of extreme criticism. and richard branson talks about moving forward in the wake of a tragic setback in the business of space. i'm david shuster in for ali velshi, and this is "real money." ♪ >>> and we're following the breaking news coming from saudi arabia tonight. according to the country's state television saudi arabia's king abdullah has died at the age of 90. the king one of the most significant players in the middle east and the global economy had been in the hospital for several years suffering from a lung infection. his brother is being tasked to be the next king. but king abdullah's passing is still momentous. mohammed has more. >> reporter: he was one of the world's few remaining absolute mo

with the new saudi king in the coming days. >> it's a sign of the strategic importance of saudi arabia, a key regional ally. the long reigning king died yesterday and was very today in an unmarked grave following friday prayers. >> king solomon -- king salman has promised fairness from the ruling dynasty's third-generation. >> the body of king abdullah was brought into the main mosque in riyadh for a simple ceremony. leaders from around the gulf joined in prayer. even the regional rival iran is sending its foreign minister to a ceremony. he came to the throne at the age of 81, but he had already been to factor region for nearly 10 years before that, presiding over the holy city of neck as well as the economic might of one of the world's largest oil producers. saudi arabia is a powerful ally of the united states, supplying america with oil in return for u.s. weapons. the u.s. and saud arabia also share a common rival in iran. their alliance was tested in 2011 with the onset of the arab spring protest. when demonstrations broke out in saudi arabia, the king launched a violent crackdown o

and al-qaeda becomes stronger and will activate their cells within saudi arabia and the saudis are veryt. >> and the saudis just lost their king. how critical is it that king abdullah passed away in this moment of time. >> the succession process is not an issue. it is very fast and it is a country without constitution. the problem is going to be the new king and his entourage, what will they do with regard to al-qaeda and yemen. are they going to counter the iranians or not. it will be tense and problematic for the new regime in saudi arabia. >> thank you walid phares. thank you. >> and a new she down looming in capitol hill. and the democrats crying foul over a late- night development in the senate and fallout over the so- called deflate-gate the nfl investigating whether the new england patriots tampered with the balls. you have questions and we have answers from a former nfl quarterback and he's known as my father. what did the players think about the whole affair and we'll get his take next. >> i have no knowledge of anything or any wrongdoing. yeah, i am comfortable saying that. an

saudi arabia king abdullah has died. saudi arabia is america's biggest ar a, b ally.stability rests on stability in saudi arabia. just three weeks ago the 90-year-oldish no one knows the exact age was hospitalized. abdullah was seen as a relative reformer in an extremely conservative saudi world which is famous for flogging and where women can still not drive. he was major player in an incredibly volatile part of the world. the next king will be prince solomon more conservative than his brother. jim you're getting statement from the white house. this is a big story here in the u.s. and major one for the president. what's the reaction? >> reporter: this statement just came out in the last several minutes. the president expressing his condolences over the loss of king abdullah. we're putting this together as we put it together up on screen. i can read it to you but just to give you a sense of the relationship between president obama and king abdullah it's been a business-like relationship over the last several years. i was with president obama when he flew out to the ki

what does the new saudi arabian king has to say? >> anything that the saudis do is the oil market.y are the biggest producers. they're the ones that still hold all the cards although you will see headlines crossing that say that the u.s. has more power we don't. let's be clear here. the saudis want to keep their production going. it is all their economy is about. they need to buy more jet planes i'm sure. the saudis basically are coming out and saying they would keep the same. they threw up their hand last time opec got together. iranians are angry at saudis. u.s. is frustrated. saudis are keeping all the oil flowing out into the world when it doesn't need to be. we have levels of oil in this country we haven't seen since 1930. the price of oil down 60% since last june. average gallon of gasoline for u.s. consumers, two bucks and three cents. leveled off over the last three days. i think that is interesting. one of the things going on behind the scenes because the saudis threw up their hands saying well things will stablize. another minister came up and said he thinks quote, have b

saudi is sunni, iran shia.this 2012 king abdullah invited iranian president to saudi, since then relations have only deteriorated. iran seen as the hand iend the increasingly sectarian politics of shia led iraq the marge zags of sunni fueling in part the growth of radical islamists like isis. isis's own global caliphate aspirations kofting the king's role as custodian of islam's two who will yes sites. and in yemen shia houthi rebels judged by saudis to have iran's backing. by keeping its oil flowing, global oil prices falling the saudi assumption is iran yaes economy will tank ultimately sweeping conserve tests from power. so as the u.s. eyes a nuclear deal with iran calculated to enable mod rats saudi fears it will do nothing more than give hard liners what had he want puck clear weapons. opposing positions now on king salman's plate to manage. as for isis in the past year king abdullah positioned saudi as the regional lead trying to win u.s. backing to deploy 50,000 anti-government forces to syria, including

>>> thousands gather of the funeral of saudi arabia's king abdullah. we'll back at his legacy and forward to the man who is replacing him. ♪ >>> hello and welcome to al jazeera, i'm jane dutton live from our headquarters in doha. also coming up children are among the dead after government shelling near the capitol damascus as well as the city of homs. >>> ukraine's conflict has claimed 5,000 lives says the u.n. in the country's east, where people are living in fear. >>> and heading for radical shift, greeks will soon vote in a election that could see the left party come to power. ♪ >>> tributes have been touring in for saudi arabia's late king abdullah. heards from around the world have attended his funeral. power has now passed to his half bother salman. and in an unprecedented move one of the grandsons have been named as deputy crown prince. erika wood reports now on the funeral for king abdullah. >> reporter: dignitaries from all over the middle east and beyond arrive to pay their respects the mayor of kuwait the prime minister of egypt, and leaders

he is one of the last sons of the founder of saudi arabia. the modern saudi arabia. and i think he is known as a sort of the middle-of-the-roader and quite well liked within the family. if you're going to get into the question of saudi internal politics, i think the first thing to say about this is i've been doing this sort of work for almost 20 years now and every year somebody tells me the saudi regime is on its last legs and it's going to collapse. and it doesn't happen. and the reason it doesn't happen is because there are thousands of these princes and they control an enormous amount of money. and when push comes to shove, they hang together to keep the regime going in the form that it now is. a monarchy. and so even though there are some difficulties, some differences, some issues that go on behind the scenes, they join together at crucial times and now is one of them. and i wouldn't expect to see big changes. and i wouldn't expect to see any upheaval in the saudi government. >> and then other than turkey. they have the most powerful army you could argue in the

to reassess the relationship with the saudis and you called the saudi arabian king a tyand the and that we should not appease them. the fact that this is a crucial ally. >> i think a lot of people see saudi arabia as a bulwark against iran. i see that point of view. human rights such a low priority when it comes to the middle east, we've really kind of given up on what i think is the only long-term guarantor of peace and stability in the middle east and that is freedom and human rights. you can't keep a dictator brutally free pressing his own people for decades and expect what comes out of that is stability and peace. >> the oppression is extreme in ways that doesn't get much publicity in the united states. >> it's beyond barbaric, the lashing of liberals publicly. this is the beheading of people deemed witches, the banning of anonymous limbs from stepping foot inside an entire city. americans should be outraged absolutely outraged at this extreme oppression of the most basic human rights. women are banned from traveling without a man's permission. the guardianship system keeps women ef

the new saudi monarch king salman is from the old guard. he is thought unlikely to embark on reforms and there are questions about his health. >> if you saw the speech he gave, it did not sound good. he was mumbling. he seemed somewhat spacey, somewhat unsure how to inflect meaning to the words in his speech. >> tonight king salman has been sitting old of allegiance from his countrymen. tomorrow he will receive world leaders like david cameron, keen to cement their ties with arguably the most important arab country. >> for more on the death of king abdullah, i spoke a short time ago to jane smith who served as america's ambassador to saudi arabia until 2013. thank you very much for coming. what changes now in saudi arabia ? >> you have a transition that speaks to stability. the transition was seamless. as expected, salman became king after being crowned prince for three years. interestingly, very quickly prints muqrin -- prince muqrin becomes the crown prince. over the next few hours he will be given allegiance by the allegiance commission.

we turn to saudi arabia. >> in saudi arabia, the funeral for the saudi king abdullah has begun. he died on thursday at the age of 90. his brother will now become king of the oil-rich monarchy. the white house announced vice president joe biden would travel to saudi arabia to offer condolences. king abdullah was one of the closest u.s. allies in the region. in a statement, president obama praised him saying he was "always candid and had the courage of his convictions." >> while president obama described the bill as a force of stability in the middle east, many analysts accused him of turning the uprising in syria and to a proxy war with iran. in 20 10, wikileaks published u.s. diplomatic cables which identified saudi arabia as the world's largest source of funds for islamist militant groups. king abdullah also sent tanks to help squash pro-democracy uprisings in neighboring bahrain. saudi arabia recently came under scrutiny for badawi who was sentenced to years in prison and lashes for reasons of including insulting islam. for more on the future of king abdulla in the future of s

saudi's special forces in training. in abdullah's route, their counterterrorism cooperation with the united states was key, as was his wariness for shiite iran and its operations in the region. and the tensions between conservatives and all continuing challenges for king abdullah's successor. mike aldridge bbc news. >> let me show you a pictures riyadh airport. the funeral is not too far now. and obviously dignitaries from across the region indeed, across the world, are making their way into riyadh for the funeral. indeed, two neighboring countries, iran and jordan they both have declared 40 days of mourning to mark the death of king anbdullahabdullah. and no doubt there will be a steady stream of planes coming in. we understand joe biden, as well, the vice president, is said to be on his way to represent the united states at the funeral. i will keep tabs on the situation there, of course as well. but among the various dignitaries and people responding to the death of king abdullah is the former british prime minister t

ally who helped reform saudi arabia.in an unmarked grave. he ensured stability in his country despite the threat from arab spring revolts. officials say the 90-year-old died after being hospitalized with pneumonia. king abdullah is praised for spending billions of dollars to modernize, education in the country. the king opened up its economy and saw saudi arabia enter the world trade organization. he also ushered in reforms for women, although critics say they didn't go nearly far enough. world leaders were quick to pay tribute. president obama praised king abdullah for being a candid leader who always had the courage of his convictions, and referencing iraq's invasion of kuwait in 1990 former president george h.w. bush said he would "never forget the way saudi arabia and the united states stood together against a common foe." a longtime u.s. ally he supported the country's efforts to defeat al qaeda and crack down on extremism, but saudi arabia also faced questions since 15 of the 9/11 hijackers were from that country.

more on the situation in saudi arabia coming up. we'll hear from sandy berger who served as national security advisor to president bill clinton coming up in 10 minutes. voters in greece will head to the polls on sunday. they will have to make tough choices over how to handle their country's debt after years of recession. here is the greek deputy prime minister on what's at stake. >> we have maybe the best structural surplus. after seven years a recession, we are now in position to present the first real indication of positive -- >> joe weisenthal is in athens. you were in greece couple years ago. how is this election different? >> i was here in 2012 during the last election. i would not say -- there was much more fear. fear that greece could leave the euro and all of europe was in trouble. now, the attitude is much more exhaustion and frustration. frustration with the weak economic growth over the last few years. voters are a bit more comfortable now voting for syri za because they're not too worried about greece leaving the eurozon

because it is as we have been discussing, saudi arabia faces so many other challenging. >> the saudisy worried about iran. eth one of the challenges for the administration if we should get a nuclear deal with iran, the saudis are fearful that it reflects a shift of american policy back to iran and away from saudi. so one of the challenges for the administration will be if they do get a nuclear agreement with iran, they are going to have to take measures to reassure the saudis and other friend and allies in the region, that we are going to continue to confront iran in their bad and threatening behavior in iraq and syria and lebanon in h their support for terror and i think that will be an important element for a packaging that needs to go around any nuclear agreement that the united states and the p5 plus 1 enter into with iran. >> woodruff: lot of moving parts. steve hadley, thank you. secretary leon panette we thank you. >> woodruff: battling high unemployment and punishing austerity measures, greeks are headed to the ballot box this weekend. leading the polls is a radical leftist pa

and saudi arabia. europe now, where officials are cracking down on terror suspects. >> yeah, pamela brown has all the latest details from paris. pamela, i understand you've been doing some digging on this? >> well, that's absolutely right. the hunt continues christi and victor for the terror suspects in europe, still after the recent attempt in paris, authorities are also looking for a possible accomplice of the gunman charged with killing four people last night. >> reporter: belgian authorities are trying to hunt down the man seen here reportedly walking behind suspected french algerian isis fighter maggie mamous. now the prosecutor in brussels says this man may have been one of mamush's accomplices. this is after belgian continues to track down about ddelhamid abaaoud. >> we have intel, and we have the lone wolves. and we have those returning from the conflict zones proposing threats from the countries they come from. >> reporter: and at least half a dozen countries cracked down on terror cells, as w

after the september 11th attacks 15 of the 19 hijackers wereiwere saudi. >> no doubt that saudi thinking changed at that point from one that had been shall we say have a policy of feeling comfortable of just exporting the problem to one of a problem that they felt they had to tackle themselves. >> the arab spring tested the relationship. urged to back hoz hosne mubarak. as the spotlight faded the two leaders cemented their relationship brokering the sale of arms to the country. attack helicopters and am mission to the kingdom. but the second term of barack obama's presidency led to more complaints from saudi arabia, when he decided to launch secret negotiation et cetera with iran, nobody told them. the saudis were then caught off guard. that led the president to visitor to shore up the relationship facing an uncertain future, more so, now. >> thailand's parliament has voted bhoamgly to raism peachment vote was 119 in favor 18 against and there were three abstentions. that means shiel be sheem she'll be banned from politics for next five years. scott heidler has more. >> former prime mini

it is no doubt that saudi thinking changed.o one of a problem that they felt hay had to tackle themselves. the king urged president obama to continue to back the egyptian president. obama stretchly dropped his support, but stayed mostly quiet as saudi trooped rolled in to quash those protests. as the spotlight faded the two ed lookers cemented their relationship brokers the singer largest sale of u.s. armies to a foreign country. but the second tempter of barack obama's presidency led to more complaints from saudi arabia when he decided to launch secret negotiations with iran, no one told officials and when the president abruptly shifted and decided to ask congress for permission to strike syria the saudis were again caught off guard. that led the president to visit the kingdom for a second time. to try and sure up support with a visibly ailing abdullah a relationship built over the mutual need for oil and defense facing an uncertain future, more so now. >> that's patty coco happen. and general i know you worked closely with th

put more pressure on saudi ar rab saudi arabia? >> no. it is not going to to be productive.ges, and doing it at their own pace. there are saudis wo want change, and there is a liberal and conservative current. there rare people inside of saudi arabia who are not happy at all and frustrated with the pace of charngs but they understand that the change is coming. i think that is the important thing. understand something that we look at saudi the arabia and the e be havior and we have to look at the relationship with them, and they look at us and our behavior and there is a bit, and i think that the governments have to approach each other with a sense of humility and we do after all have terror and torture exercised by the u.s. government and iraq around the world and they know the video ss and the pictures from abu ghraib and frankly, no accountability p in our country for this behavior, and so i believe that the president has struck the right tone. he has been critical of them and spoken to them about it but then he has not gone to the length of trying to publicly embarrass th

thousands gather for the funeral of saudi arabia's king abdullah.ll look back at his legacy and forward to the man who is replacing him. >>> children are among the dead after syrian government shelling near the capitol damascus as well as the city of homs. >>> yemen slides keep into chaos after the resignation of the government and the president. and ukraine's conflict has claimed 5,000 lives says the u.n. we are in the country's east where people are living in fear. ♪ >>> tributes have been pouring in for saudi arabia's late king abdullah. leaders from around the world have attended his funeral. power has now passed to abdullah abdullah's half brother, salmon. and one of the late monarchs grandsons has been named as deputy crown prince. we will have more on that in a moment. but first erika woods reports on the funeral. >> reporter: dignitaries arrive from all over the world to pay their respects. among them the mayor of kuwait the prime minister of egypt, and the leaders of neighboring countries. after they arrived they gathered for sample funeral

>> saudi arabia mourns the death of king abdullah. an i-sis threat with japanese hostages has opinion passed. will they become the neck victims of the brutal terror group? and a key american ally in complete disarray after a day of resignations. what's neck for yemen? hello and welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. now funeral services are just a few hours away from king abdullah. he passed away in morning at the age of 90. his brother assumed the throne a short time later. here is cnn's senior international correspondent. >> we can expect the funeral to be quite short. there won't be a lot of ceremony of the grave site. we can expect it to be perhaps running a little bit late to be an element of confusion in there as well. this is a huge gathering of people. i was in saudi arabia when king abdullah came to the thrown. t rather than a service because it's over very quickly. the hole in the ground the coffin very quickly lowered and covered with soil. will receive the guest for the royals who come to pay tri