CAIRO Ñ Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's collapse during a public speech last week has alarmed senior members of his regime. Some Egyptian
clerics in the parliamentary chamber were seen praying for the president's
health.
For several years, the United States pressed Mubarak to appoint a vice
president to ensure a smooth succession. The Egyptian president refused and
under the constitution Egyptian parliamentary speaker Fathi Sorour would
take over for three months until new presidential elections were held.
Mubarak, 75, was forced to stop his address of the parliament for about
45 minutes in a live televised appearance,, Middle East Newsline reported. Egyptian television halted the
broadcast as Mubarak's voice faltered and the president was seen coughing as
he wiped his brow and nose in what appeared to mark his struggle with a bout
of fever.
It was the first time, Mubarak has been unable to complete a state ceremony because of what Western diplomatic
sources termed was his increasingly weak condition.
In Washington, the State Department and U.S. intelligence community
closely followed the Mubarak episode. Egypt, which receives $2 billion in
annual aid from Washington, is regarded as the leading U.S. ally in the Arab
world.
The appearance was the first demonstration of what diplomatic sources
had reported was Mubarak's failing health. The sources said the president
had been cutting back on public appearances over the last four months,
including tours of military units.
Parliamentary sources said Mubarak seemed about to collapse when he was
quickly led away by aides to an adjoining room. A physician then treated the
president and he returned to complete his speech nearly an hour later.
Health Minister Awad Taggedine said Mubarak sustained a drop in blood
pressure. The minister said physicians administered an electrocardiogram and
other unspecified tests in the adjoining room.
"What happened to the president resulted from fasting and antibiotics,"
Egyptian Information Minister Safwat Sherif said. "The president insisted on
attending the session today, against the advice of physicians."