ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)<br/> <br />STORY: Saudi King Abdullah has appeared on state television on Wednesday for the first time since his 11-hour back operation on Nov. 17, helping assuage fears over his health.<br/> <br />In footage broadcast on state television, the monarch, who is in his late 80s, looked in good health as he sat in a chair receiving members of the royal family and officials in Riyadh. The surgery was conducted at the National Guard's hospital in the capital Riyadh.<br/> <br />Because power in the world's top oil-exporting country is concentrated in the hands of the king and top princes, their health is closely watched.<br/> <br />King Abdullah has introduced cautious economic and social reforms in the conservative Islamic kingdom aimed at reconciling Saudi Arabia's religious traditions with the needs of a modern economy and youthful population.<br/> <br />Abdullah's heir is Crown Prince Salman, who is 76.
