Egypt President returned home 3 weeks after gall bladder surgery in Germany

Egypt’s Mubarak returns home 3 weeks after surgery

CAIRO — Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak returned home Saturday three weeks after undergoing gall bladder surgery in Germany — an operation that prompted him to temporarily hand over power to his prime minister and fueled speculation about the country’s leadership.

State television broadcast live footage of Mubarak’s arrival at the airport in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik. With his wife at his side, the president descended from the plane on an escalator before walking slowly with a slight limp to greet Cabinet ministers and other dignitaries waiting for him on the tarmac.

He paused to chat with the leader of the Coptic Church and received a copy of Islam’s holy book, the Quran, from his defense minister, then got into his car and sped away.

Mubarak returns to Egypt exactly three weeks after doctors at the Heidelberg University Hospital in Germany removed his gall bladder and a benign growth in the lining of his small intestine. Upon his release Saturday, the medical team there recommended Mubarak continue his recuperation for two more weeks before gradually resuming his regular work schedule.

The president’s frail health and three-week absence prompted speculation about the leadership in the Arab world’s most populous nation, a U.S. ally that plays a critical role in issues ranging from Mideast peace efforts to curbing Islamic militancy.

In power for nearly 30-years, Mubarak has no clear successor and has never appointed a vice president. Many believe he is grooming his son Gamal to succeed him, although both father and son deny the reports — despite Gamal’s rising status within the ruling party.

This was not the first time Mubarak’s health has fueled concerns about a transition of power in Egypt.

In 2003, he collapsed during a speech to parliament, which was blamed on a combination of cold medication and fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

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

But this was Mubarak’s longest absence from the country, and it prompted him to temporarily hand power over to Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif.

Egypt’s stock market plummeted 5.5 percent over three days due to worries over his health last week before finally rebounding when he appeared on TV to quell rumors over the state of his health.

Last week, state television aired footage of Mubarak talking to his doctors and then speaking with his prime minister on the phone. “It was a hard beating,” Mubarak said of his surgery.