RIYADH, July 20: Saudi Arabian ambassador to the US, Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, has resigned, and his resignation has been accepted by King Fahd. Prince Bandar Bin Sultan resigned after two decades “of distinguished service as Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States of America,” a statement by the Saudi ministry of foreign affairs said on Wednesday.

The statement said Prince Bandar had resigned due to personal reasons.

Meanwhile, Saudi envoy in London, Prince Turky al Faisal, has been nominated as ambassador to the US.

Prince Bandar bin Sultan, a Washington insider, had asked King Fahd to relieve him of his post a month ago, a US official had told the Associated Press.

Prince Bandar bin Sultan, a former fighter pilot, had developed personal ties with several US presidents, and he played a key role in rescuing Saudi-US relations after the September 11 attacks which were carried out mainly by Saudi nationals.

The 56-year-old prince, one of the most influential diplomats in Washington, had been out of the spotlight lately, and diplomats and officials said he had confided to them that he wanted to quit.

His friendship with Bush Senior and his son, George W. Bush, had earned him the nickname, ‘Bandar Bush’.