Oman sultan to return to Germany for health checkup

Sultan Qaboos of Oman is to fly to Germany on Sunday for a medical checkup on his progress after eight months of treatment there in 2014-15, his government announced.

The 75-year-old monarch will undergo a "routine medical examination" during a stay that will be of "limited duration, God willing", a statement carried by the official ONA news agency on Saturday said.

Qaboos, who has ruled Oman since overthrowing his father in a bloodless 1970 coup, has made only short public appearances since his return from treatment in Germany last March.

There has never been any official statement on the nature of his illness, but diplomats have said he was treated for colon cancer.

State television reported at the time that his treatment was a "total success".

But he has since returned to Germany at least twice, a diplomatic source said.
Source :AFP