KUWAIT CITY, Jan. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- The Kuwaiti cabinet has called upon the parliament to vote on whether to remove the ailing emir of the oil-rich kingdom, sources said on Monday.

   The cabinet has submitted a letter to Parliament Speaker Jassem al-Khorafi, asking the legislature to start constitutional procedures to remove the new but ailing emir Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah, the sources said, without revealing further details.

   Sheikh Saad, 76, became the new emir after the death of his predecessor late emir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmed al-Sabah on Jan. 15.

   The new emir initially asked the parliament to convene a special session on Sunday so that he could take the oath of office.

   However, al-Khorafi said that he could only hold such a session after receiving a letter or request from the cabinet, a procedure required by the country's succession law.

   The Kuwaiti cabinet decided in an extraordinary meeting on Saturday to remove the ailing new emir.

   The removal will take place if two-thirds of the legislature agree to it. Enditem