Il Sovrano Assoluto del Regno dell'Arabia Saudita sta male

King Abullah to US

All major media are reporting that Saudi King Abdullah is traveling to the US for medical treatment. A slipped disk and a blood clot are cited as the reasons for this travel. None of the stories I’ve seen name the medical facility to which he’ll be going. Here’s the Associate Press story as run in The Washington Post

Saudi king heads to US for medical tests
ABDULLAH AL-SHIHRI

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia’s 86-year-old King Abdullah handed over duties to his crown prince on Monday and left to the United States for treatment over a blood clot and slipped disc, the palace said.

Saudi authorities have been unusually open in going public with the king’s condition, apparently in an effort to prevent any speculation and reassure allies of the key Mideast nation and oil power. Personal issues within the royal family are often kept under strict wraps.

Photos showed the king at the airport, kissing his second deputy prime minister Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz on the cheeks goodbye as he departed. Abdullah was seated in a plush chair on the tarmac, an IV catheter clearly inserted in the back of his hand. Pictures in newspapers over recent days have shown the king being pushed in a wheelchair – though still looking hardy.
…

Arab News reports as well. It notes that the Crown Prince, Pr Sultan, has returned from his own medical retreat to take over the reins of power. Also during this period of Haj and its following Eid, the King has stepped down from his position as Commander of the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG), naming his son Miteb in his place.

via xrdarabia.org