Egypt’s former president Hosni Mubarak may be in poor health, the country’s envoy to Washington told a US broadcaster Monday, days after the longtime leader was ousted by a people power revolution.
In some of the first comments by an Egyptian official on Mubarak’s condition, Ambassador Sameh Shoukry brought up the possibility of the ex-leader’s deteriorating health when asked about reports that he may have suffered a stroke or be in a coma.
“I am following the rumors and the press reports related to his health, and might have received some communication at a personal level indicating that he is possibly in somewhat of bad health,” Shoukry told NBC’s Today Show. But he stressed that “I really don’t have sufficient information so I wouldn’t like to speculate” on what, if anything, might be ailing Mubarak.
The 82-year-old strongman relinquished power on Friday after a 30-year autocratic rule. Rumors had surfaced that the former leader had fled the country, but on Sunday Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq said Mubarak was still in Egypt in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Speculation has remained steady in Egypt in recent years over Mubarak’s health. His medical condition had usually been a closely guarded secret in Egypt, and journalists have been jailed for writing about it. Last March, state media announced that Mubarak was to undergo surgery that month in Germany.
He spent three weeks out of the country, and at Heidelberg University Hospital in Baden Baden he had surgery to remove his gall bladder and a growth on the small intestine. Afterwards the flew back to Egypt, first to Sharm el-Sheikh to recuperate before returning to a normal work schedule.
Mubarak underwent surgery for a slipped disc in 2004 and suffered a minor health scare while delivering a televised speech the year before.
Washington, Feb 14, 2011 (AFP)
