Kuwait (QNN)- Kuwait’s ruler Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, a savvy diplomat who positioned the small Arab Gulf state as a regional peacemaker and always defended Palestine and the rights of the Palestinian people, has died at 91 years old. Sabah has battled health issues in recent years and is widely respected for working to mediate conflict in the region. When a political rift led to an embargo of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, Sabah tried unsuccessfully to broker a resolution. He also led donor conferences for Syria that led to pledges of hundreds of millions of dollars. Sabah had always defended Palestine and stressed his country's position with the Palestinian people and their right to recover their country. “With great sadness and sorrow, we mourn … the death of Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, emir of the State of Kuwait,” said Sheikh Ali Jarrah al-Sabah, the minister in charge of royal affairs, in a television broadcast. Known as the “Wise Man of the Region”, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah was born in 1929. He is widely regarded as the architect of modern Kuwait’s foreign policy having served as foreign minister for nearly 40 years between 1963 to 2003, when he became prime minister. Sheikh Sabah was the 15th leader in a Kuwaiti family that has ruled for more than 250 years. On August 6, the Emir traveled to the United States for medical treatment after he underwent surgery that his office described as successful. Officials did not disclose his condition.