RIYADH, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi Interior Minister PrinceNaif bin Abdulaziz was sworn in as the second deputy premier of the oil-rich kingdom, the state SPA news agency reported Sunday.

    The Oath-taking ceremony, which was hosted by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz at the king's palace on Saturday evening, was "in line with the issuance of a royal decree," which was made on Friday by the monarch, the report said.

    The king congratulated Prince Naif and wish him success "for the service of his religion and the homeland," it added.

    Naif expressed his thanks to the king's trust and vowed to come up to the king's confidence in him.

    The appointment came as the Saudi king might come to the Qatari capital of Doha for an Arab summit on March 30-31 and later to London for the G20 summit scheduled for April 1-2.

    The interior minister would be in charge of the kingdom when the king is absent, the First Deputy Prime Minister Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, who usually took the role in the past, is now in the United States for medical treatment.