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Wednesday 22 December 2010

Saudi king leaves NY hospital

By Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN
December 22, 2010 -- Updated 0737 GMT (1537 HKT)
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia will soon begin a second round of physical therapy, according to a statement from the Royal Court.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia will soon begin a second round of physical therapy, according to a statement from the Royal Court.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • It is not known how long King Abdullah will remain in New York
  • He undergoes two successful surgeries

(CNN) -- King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has left a New York hospital to recuperate at his home in the city, the official Saudi Press Agency said Wednesday.

The king left the New York Presbyterian Hospital / Weill Cornell Medical Center Tuesday night, the news agency said citing the Royal Court.

The statement did not say how long Abdullah will remain in New York.

Abdullah first underwent successful surgery on November 24. He had a successful follow-up back surgery on December 3 to stabilize several vertebrae in his spine, the agency said earlier.

The king traveled to the United States for treatment of a herniated spinal disc and a blood clot that was causing him back pain, Saudi state media reported.

Abdullah, 86, had named Crown Prince Sultan to administer the state's affairs in the monarch's absence, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported at the time.

The top three figures in the kingdom -- Abdullah, Sultan and Prince Nayef, the country's interior minister and second deputy prime minister -- are all sons of King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud, who founded modern Saudi Arabia in 1932.

Abdullah has ruled the oil-rich kingdom since the August 2005 death of his half-brother, King Fahd. But Abdullah ran most of the kingdom's affairs for a decade before that on behalf of his ailing half-brother.

Since coming to power, he has sought to establish rules and procedures for many Saudi institutions, giving him a reputation as a reformer in the highly conservative nation.

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