Egypt TV shows first images of president following operation in German hospital

First post-op images of Egyptian president appear

CAIRO — Egypt’s president appeared on state television talking with his doctors Tuesday in his first appearance since an operation in Germany 10 days earlier, quelling speculation over the state of his health.

The broadcast followed a swirl of rumors and speculation over the 81-year-old president’s health due to a lack of images of him since the March 6 removal of his gall bladder in a German hospital.

The Information Ministry issued photographs and video of him sitting and talking with his doctors at the Heidelberg University Hospital.

“He was upbeat and in very good spirits as usual. His resolve and willpower that we have witnessed all this week was very obvious this morning as he looked forward to going back to his normal activity,” Dr. Markus Buechler, head of his medical team, said in a televised statement.

He added that his progress was satisfactory and his appetite had been improving over the last few days.

“He will remain under the team’s full supervision” until he leaves the hospital, Buechler said, without specifying a date.

The state news agency quoted Aly Eddin Hilal of the ruling party as saying the president was in good shape after undergoing surgery to remove his gall bladder and a benign growth in the lining of his small intestine.

The Middle East News Agency later retracted a statement from Hilal saying Mubarak would deliver a televised address to the nation by the end of the week. Hilal said he had only meant to refer to Tuesday’s footage of Mubarak.

In a departure from past years when discussion of the president’s health was taboo, the government issued regular reports of his progress.

State-owned media in Egypt were consistently upbeat about his health, but the lack of images of Mubarak after the operation prompted rumors about his condition.

Egypt’s stock market plummeted 5.5 percent over three days due to worries over his health, before finally rebounding Tuesday.

Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif was given all presidential powers in Mubarak’s absence.

Mubarak’s term in office ends next year after nearly three decades in power. Concerns about his health have prompted speculation about the leadership of the U.S. ally, which plays a critical role in issues ranging from Mideast peace efforts to curbing Islamic militancy.

In recent months Mubarak has looked weakened and pale in several appearances. During a July visit to Italy he was photographed being helped up the stairs. Many diplomats and Egyptian political observers believe the president’s health took a downturn after the sudden death of his 12-year-old grandson last May.

In 2003, Mubarak collapsed during a speech to parliament. The government blamed a combination of cold medication and fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan for the incident.

A year later, Mubarak reportedly had a minor back operation, also in Germany.

But discussions about Mubarak’s health are usually kept under tight control by the long-ruling regime and public statements on the issue are rare. In 2006, an editor was sentenced to six months in prison for reporting on rumors about the president’s health. Mubarak later pardoned the journalist.

Since taking office in 1981, Mubarak has not named a successor and never had a vice president, but he is believed to be grooming his son Gamal to succeed him. Some leaders of the ruling Democratic National Party have suggested that Mubarak will run for re-election next year.