Saudi Arabia's crown prince promises country will return to 'moderate, open Islam'

Saudi Arabia's crown prince, speaking at a major investment conference, has promised the country will "return to what we used to be - moderate, open Islam". Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud made the announcement at the beginning of the landmark Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh on Tuesday. The kingdom would also do more to tackle extremism in the country, the prince said. "We will not waste 30 years of our lives dealing with extremist ideas, we will destroy them today," he told interviewers. "We will end extremism very soon". Prince bin Salman, who was appointed heir to the throne by his father King Salman earlier this year, is seen by many as the face of the modern kingdom. The 32-year-old is the driving force behind ‘Vision 2030’, Saudi Arabia's long term economic plan to wean itself off dependence on oil, and is popular for his reforms to the country’s ineffective state bureaucracy. While Prince bin Salman has built his reputation as a bold and socially liberal reformer, critics note his hawkish foreign policy. As defence minister - a position he has held since 2015 - he has attracted criticism for his role in Saudi Arabia’s bloody intervention in the Yemeni civil war, as well as his aggressive stance on Iran. The prince is also regarded as one of the primary decision makers behind the Gulf states’ recent cutting of ties with Qatar. More follows…