Egyptian president to have gall bladder operation Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will undergo a gall bladder operation Saturday in Germany and has temporarily handed over power to the prime minister, the state-owned news agency reported in a rare public statement on the leader's health.
The 81-year-old leader was diagnosed as having "severe inflammation of his gall bladder" after tests at a hospital in Heidelberg, according to MENA.
It said Mubarak, who was accompanied by his wife and two sons, has decreed that Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif will exercise all presidential powers while he is out of the country.
Mubarak's terms in office ends next year and concern about his health often prompts speculation about the leadership of 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.
Mubarak reportedly had a minor back operation, also in Germany.
The Egyptian leader continues traveling abroad and touring Egyptian provinces. He met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday.
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.
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