Ghazi AlGosaibi Dies at 70

Ghazi AlGosaibi, the Saudi diplomat and poet, has died of cancer at age 70. In recent years he has been serving as the Saudi Labor Minister. He's probably best known in the West for his tenure as Ambassador to London in 1992-2002, and in the Kingdom for his poetry, often featured in newspapers. He left the London post after controversy over a poem praising a suicide bomber.

AlGosaibi was a member of a prominent trading family in both the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, where prominent members are in business, and in Bahrain, where the Gosaibis also play important roles. He had also served as Ambassador to Bahrain.

In addition to his poetry, he had published a number of novels.

Besides the BBC article linked above, here's Arab News' appreciation, and that of the Saudi Gazette.