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Kuwait’s ruler, 90, in US hospital and cancels Trump visit

FILE - In this March 31, 2019 file photo, Kuwait's ruling emir, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, attends the opening of the 30th Arab Summit, in Tunis, Tunisia. Kuwait said Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019, that its 90-year-old ruling emir Sheikh Sabah has been admitted to a U.S. hospital after an earlier health scare and will cancel an upcoming visit Thursday with President Donald Trump. (Fethi Belaid/Pool Photo via AP, File)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Kuwait’s 90-year-old ruling emir has cancelled a visit Thursday with President Donald Trump at the White House after being admitted to a U.S. hospital following an earlier health scare last month.

Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah will undergo unspecified tests during his hospitalization, the state-run KUNA news agency reported late Sunday. It did not elaborate.

It quoted Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al Sabah, the minister of the emir’s diwan council, as saying Sheikh Sabah would reschedule his visit with Trump.

“Sheikh Ali prayed to Allah the Almighty to bestow His Highness the Emir with good health,” KUNA said.

On Aug. 18, Kuwait acknowledged the emir suffered an unspecified medical “setback.”

That came after visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter that he was “praying for emir’s speedy recovery,” without elaborating.

Sheikh Sabah has ruled Kuwait since January 2006. A longtime diplomat, he pushed for diplomacy to solve regional issues, such as the ongoing boycott of Qatar by four Arab nations, and hosted major donor conferences for war-torn nations like Iraq and Syria.

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