RIYADH - Saudi ArabiaÂ’s elderly King Abdullah arrived in Morocco on Saturday to convalesce after spending almost two months in New York for medical treatment, Saudi state media said.The official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said Abdullah, aged about 87, arrived in Casablanca where he often spends holidays, but gave no date for when he would return to the kingdom. He left Riyadh on Nov. 22 and underwent two operations in New York after a blood clot complicated a slipped disc.
| Blood clot? Could be in the leg (deep vein thrombosis) or lung (pulmonary embolus). But two months? Sounds like he's not doing so well. |
Riyadh has been keen to show its allies there will be no power vacuum as health problems affect its octogenarian rulers but the kingÂ’s recent medical troubles have aroused concern over whether a reformist like himself or a conservative would succeed him.
A frail Crown Prince Sultan, who has health problems of his own, returned from holiday in Morocco to govern the kingdom in AbdullahÂ’s absence. With both Abdullah and Sultan in their 80s, speculation has arisen that Interior Minister Prince Nayef, a conservative who is a relatively youthful 76, could take over the running of the affairs of state in the future.