Qaboos of Oman to undergo medical checks in Belgium

Oman's Sultan Qaboos will travel to Belgium on Saturday for medical checks, according to a statement from his court.

The checks should take "a limited period of time", the statement added, giving no details on the sultan's condition.

Western-backed Qaboos, 79, has ruled the Arabian peninsula state since he took over in a bloodless coup with the help of Oman's former colonial power, Britain, in 1970. He has traveled abroad for medical reasons at least twice since 2014.