Swiss OK Residence for Former Saudi Oil Minister Yamani
BERN, Switzerland — Swiss authorities have approved a residence permit for former Saudi Oil Minister Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani, a Justice Ministry spokesman said.
Yamani’s application for residence in the community of Chermignon, near Crans-Montana in the canton of Valais, was approved by federal authorities last week, spokesman Joerg Kistler said Friday.
Despite rising curbs on immigration, Yamani’s chances of approval for residence were considered good because he owned property in Switzerland.
After more than two decades as Saudi oil minister, Yamani, 56, was fired by King Fahd last October in a disagreement over oil pricing policy.
Yamani, a Harvard-educated attorney owns an apartment in Chermignon, where his wife and five children have lived for a year. The sheik also owns an apartment in Geneva, where the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries frequently held meetings during his long and dominant tenure.
OPEC reportedly plans to reduce Geneva’s role as a meeting place because it is so closely linked to Yamani’s influence on the cartel’s policies.
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