The new emir of the Gulf state of Kuwait has agreed to abdicate in order to resolve a constitutional crisis in the royal family, officials say.

The ailing Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah, who became emir on 15 January, will step down in favour of PM Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah.

Sheikh Saad was facing an unprecedented vote in parliament on Tuesday for his removal from power on health grounds.

No formal announcement has yet been made about the abdication.

Worst crisis

A government official told the AFP news agency: "An agreement was reached stipulating that the emir will abdicate."

It came after a meeting between Sheikh Sabah and Sheikh Salem al-Ali al-Sabah, the emir's cousin and leading supporter.

Lawmaker Nasser al-Saneh confirmed the agreement to the Associated Press, saying the emir would sign the abdication papers on Tuesday.

It requires a two-thirds majority in Kuwait's parliament to remove an ailing emir.

A removal by parliament would have been unprecedented.

The BBC's Gulf correspondent, Julia Wheeler, says the abdication is likely to be welcomed by Kuwaitis as a peaceful solution to the worst leadership crisis the country has seen.

But she says it is unclear how deep the rift within the royal family will be, how long it will last or how it will be played out.

Sheikh Saad became emir on the death of Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah on 15 January but has played little part in public life for many years.

Both Sheikh Saad, 76, and the former emir suffered poor health and affairs of state were controlled by Sheikh Sabah, the half-brother of the late emir.

Tradition in the Sabah ruling dynasty stipulates that the position of emir should alternate between the two main branches of the family.

These are the Jaber branch, of which Sheikh Sabah and the late emir are members, and the Salem branch which produced Sheikh Saad.

The public conflict between the two branches over the succession stunned the normally tranquil circles of Kuwaiti politics.

Sheikh Saad's supporters put up posters across the emirate hailing him as a "hero of the liberation of Kuwait" in reference to the 1990-91 Gulf Crisis.

The emirate controls about 10% of the world's proven oil reserves and is a key US ally in the region.

PHOTO CAPTION