KUWAIT CITY, Jan. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- The Emir of oil-rich Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah, died on Sunday at the age of 77, Kuwaiti state television reported.

    The announcement was made in a statement from the royal court carried by the television.

Kuwait's emir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah opens the resumption of the 10th legislative term of Parliament in Kuwait City in this October 20, 2003 file photo. (Reuters)

    The statement announced a 40-day mourning period. Government offices will be closed for three days.

    The emir, whose rule began in 1978, had been ill since suffering a brain hemorrhage in September 2001. Enditem