May 14, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 8, 1429

KUWAIT CITY, May 13: A former emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Saad Abdullah al-Sabah, has died after a long illness, the royal court announced on Tuesday in a statement broadcast by state television. He was 78.

He will be laid to rest on Wednesday morning, the statement said.

The already ailing Sheikh Saad succeeded to the throne in 2006 after the death of his predecessor, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah. He was then deposed by parliament after only nine days on health grounds.—AFP