Haitham bin Tariq Al Said replaced his now-deceased cousin Qaboos bin Said Al Said as the sultan of Oman. So who is the new Sultan. His predecessor, the longest-serving leader in the Arab world, died on Friday at the age of 79 following a long struggle with colon cancer. Born in 1954, Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq was Minister of Heritage and Culture of the Sultanate of Oman. He is the cousin of Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed. Sultan Haitham has years of experience with the foreign ministry starting in 1986. He served previously as the foreign ministry's undersecretary for political affairs and its secretary general. He has sometimes also chaired meetings of the Cabinet. He previously spent 16 years in various roles with the foreign ministry. He also served as the foreign ministry's undersecretary for political affairs and its secretary general. He has sometimes also chaired meetings of the Cabinet. He is a Chairman of the committee for the future vision of “Oman 2040″ along with being honorary president of the Oman Association for the Disabled and honorary president of the “Omani-Japanese Friendship Association.” A 1979 graduate of the Oxford University Foreign Service Programme. He was the first head of the Oman Football Association in the early 1980s and is known as a sports enthusiast. Haitham's father was Tariq bin Taimur, son of Taimur bin Feisal (sultan 1913–1932). His brother Asa'ad bin Tariq bin Taimur al Said is the Deputy Prime Minister.
