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He is 81. There shouldn't be a complete silence over his health and his sucessor.
Egypt's guessing game: How long can a leader last?
Egypt's guessing game: How long can a leader last?
8 hrs ago [AP] CAIRO — When Egypt's leader meets on Tuesday with President Barack Obama in Washington, U.S. officials may find themselves caught up in the country's No. 1 guessing game: How much longer can Hosni Mubarak go on?
The 81-year-old president has looked weakened and pale in several appearances in recent months. During a July visit to Italy he was photographed being helped up the stairs. His office is resolutely silent about his health.
On the other hand, after 28 years in power he shows no specific sign of illness, and he has just traveled to Europe and toured the Egyptian provinces. Last month, in a long interview on Egyptian TV, he appeared vigorous and talked in detail on a range of topics.
Another big question is who would succeed him as head of the Arab world's most populous nation, an American ally that plays a critical role in issues ranging from Mideast peace efforts to curbing Islamic militancy.
Those most often cited are his son, Gamal Mubarak, and his intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman. But since Mubarak has no vice president, even the mechanism of succession is unclear, leaving the choice to backroom machinations among the ruling party, the security services and billionaire businessmen.
To look tired and need help on the stairs may not sound unusual for an 81-year-old, but the problem for Egyptians is that they are given no official information at all about their leader's health. ....
The 81-year-old president has looked weakened and pale in several appearances in recent months. During a July visit to Italy he was photographed being helped up the stairs. His office is resolutely silent about his health.
On the other hand, after 28 years in power he shows no specific sign of illness, and he has just traveled to Europe and toured the Egyptian provinces. Last month, in a long interview on Egyptian TV, he appeared vigorous and talked in detail on a range of topics.
Another big question is who would succeed him as head of the Arab world's most populous nation, an American ally that plays a critical role in issues ranging from Mideast peace efforts to curbing Islamic militancy.
Those most often cited are his son, Gamal Mubarak, and his intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman. But since Mubarak has no vice president, even the mechanism of succession is unclear, leaving the choice to backroom machinations among the ruling party, the security services and billionaire businessmen.
To look tired and need help on the stairs may not sound unusual for an 81-year-old, but the problem for Egyptians is that they are given no official information at all about their leader's health. ....
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