The United States will send a delegation led by Vice President Joe Biden to Saudi Arabia to offer condolences for the death of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz

The United States will send a delegation led by Vice President Joe Biden to Saudi Arabia to offer condolences for the death of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz, the White House said Sunday.

US President Barack Obama announced the visit of the delegation to ailing Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz in a telephone call on Sunday, during which he also expressed his "personal condolences" to the king over his half-brother's death.

Obama "praised Crown Prince Sultan's many contributions over the past five decades, including his critical role in building the strong and enduring partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia," the White House said.

"The president informed the King that a senior delegation, which will be led by Vice President Biden, will travel to Riyadh to pay condolences during the official mourning period."

The Saudi royal palace announced Sultan's death on Saturday.
According to a leaked U.S. diplomatic cable from January 2010, Prince Sultan, aged 80, had been receiving treatment for colon cancer since 2009. He had struggled with health issues for years, although officials never confirmed he had cancer. He served as the oil kingpin's defense minister for nearly five decades.

The death of the prince opens questions about the succession in the oil-rich U.S. ally.