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Mubarak's regime alarmed by his collapse

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Sunday, November 23, 2003

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."

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