King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, arrives in Casablanca from New York, Saturday. He was received by Morocco's King Mohammed VI (right) and other senior officials. (SPA) RIYADH: King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, arrived in Casablanca, Morocco Saturday to convalesce two months after undergoing back surgery in the United States, the official SPA news agency reported. “King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud arrived in Casablanca in the Kingdom of Morocco from New York to complete physical therapy and recovery,” said the report. Morocco's King Mohammed VI met King Abdullah at Casablanca airport, SPA and an official Moroccan source added. According to SPA, King Abdullah arrived in the company of Prince Muqrin Bin Abdul Aziz, President of General Intelligence, and Prince Mit'eb Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of State, Cabinet Member and President of the National Guard, and other senior officials. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques flew to New York on Nov. 22 and was operated on two days later for a debilitating herniated disc complicated by a hematoma that put pressure on his spine. That surgery was declared a success, as was a second operation to repair several vertebrae. King Abdullah said this week that he was in good health and that he had been following developments in the Kingdom. “I want to assure all that I am in good health and will return soon, very soon to the Kingdom to be among my family and people,” the King was quoted as saying by Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Seyassah Monday. In the interview, King Abdullah said he appreciated all the good wishes of the people in the Gulf with whom Saudi Arabia shares “bonds of love and brotherly relations which have a deep-rooted history”. “We are part of the Gulf. We have one identity. Their people are our people.” He said he was not surprised that the people have shown “great love for me” because of the strong ties Saudi Arabia has with them. On Dec. 22, Saudi television had shown King Abdullah smiling at hospital staff as he left the facility for a period of convalescence and physiotherapy at his New York residence.
