BAGHDAD, July 20 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Monday postponed his official visit to the neighboring country of Saudi Arabia, as Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud had been admitted to the hospital.
A statement by his office said that al-Kadhimi received the news that "King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was exposed to an urgent health problem, and he subsequently was admitted to hospital for checkups."
With a prior date for al-Kadhimi to visit the kingdom, "it was decided to postpone the visit to the earliest possible date agreed upon by both sides," the statement said.
Earlier in the day, the Saudi Royal Court said in a statement via the Saudi Press Agency that the king was admitted to King Faisal Specialist Hospital in the capital Riyadh for a medical checkup due to an inflammation of the gall bladder.
Al-Kadhimi was scheduled on Monday to make his first foreign trip since he took office in early May, starting from Saudi Arabia, and then to visit Iran before Washington. Enditem
