CAIRO: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met King Abdallah of Jordan, Quartet Middle East Envoy Tony Blair and Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D’Alema in Alexandria Tuesday to discuss a range of issues and finally debunk recent rumors about his health.
Mubarak was photographed walking into Ras El-Tin Palace in Alexandria to receive his visitors and was also pictured sitting with Abdallah and the former British prime minister as they discussed ways to relaunch the peace process.
The only discernable difference in the president’s appearance was a visible tan, since he has recently been staying at the presidential summer home in Borg Al-Arab near the North Coast.
Additionally, it was implied in official comments by Mubarak himself in an interview with Al-Ahram and by the First Lady in an interview with Al-Arabiya, that the rumor was spread by thebanned Muslim Brotherhood group to sow seeds of confusion n the country.
However, Deputy Head of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohamed Habib denied that the rmor emerged from the outlawed group, saying that such an act was in contradiction with Islamic principles.
“We don’t spread such things s a group, he told Daily News Egypt, “our Islamic values do not agree with such actions. We don’t do these things and we are against anyone who does. We are supportive of the president’s well-being and his ability to perform his duties properly for the higher interest of the country.
Yet Habib was critical of the fact that there was no immediate official response to the rumors which he believed exacerbated the issue. He said, “The lack of transparency in state institutions allowed these rumors to reverberate. We would have hoped that anyone from the presidential office would have ended the matter right away, not let it get this far.
Former leader of the opposition Kefaya movement, George Ishaq, concurred that an official response could have nipped the rumors in the bud, as did National Democratic Party MP Mohammed Khalil Kwaitah.
“Mubarak’s health is not a joke. If the presidency had made an immediate announcement about his heath none of this would have happened, Ishaq told Daily News Egypt.
“[Al-Dostour editor] Ibrahim Eissa is not to blame for this, but the official body concerned [the presidential office] is to blame for not responding, he said.
“We are human, we can fall sick at any time. In an event like this though, a quick statement is imperative to clarify things.
The Higher Press Council (HPC) had asked a special committee to review all articles published concerning the rumor about President Hosni Mubarak s health, according to Louis Greiss, journalist and member of the council.
President of the HPC, Safwat Al-Sherif, chairman of the Shoura Council (Upper House of Parliament) held a meeting Sunday to discuss the results of the ensuing report presented by the special committee.
Greiss told Daily News Egypt that the report that will be finalized on Sunday after which it will be sent to the journalists syndicate, the only official body authorized to interrogate journalists for allegations of misconduct.
According to article 76 of the Egyptian press law, the press is held legally accountable for spreading false information that would distract the public and create panic.
Newspapers which had helped spread rumors about the state of the president s health could be taken to task under that law.
The state security prosecutor will start today its investigation of Ibrahim Eissa, editor-in-chief of the independent, opposition Al-Dostour daily, for its alleged role in spreading these rumors.
In an interview with the Middle East Times, Eissa said, All the independent and state dailies have written about the subject, and no one else has been summoned .This is a way of settling scores with Al-Dostour and with me for all I that have written.
The government’s power to investigate and detain journalists is serious and disturbing, Hossam Bahgat, chairman of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, told Daily News Egypt.
According to Bahgat, the state security prosecutor s authority to detain journalists and question them is a step back from the political reform that Egypt has witnessed in 2005.
“Now the government has banned demonstrations and is on the way to destroy the independent press, Bahgat added.
NDP MP Kwaitah told Daily News Egypt that a statement to clarify the matter would have been an appropriate course of action.
“I don’t know why this rumor spread, maybe from the papers or satellite channels [but] there should have been a statement or an appearance. People didn’t know what to do, there were fears, he said.
The rumors have sparked soul searching amongst Egyptians about what to expect in a post-Mubarak era. Having not appointed a successor, there are fears that the country could be torn apart as different groups vie for power.
“The fears are from the inability of state institutions to respond appropriately, Ishaq said, “It is very worrying that if a trivial event such as this was not handled well. How will a serious event be handled?
For their part, Habib and Kwaitah declared their faith in Egyptian institutions to see that any transfer of power occurs in an orderly and non-violent manner.
“Egypt is a country of institutions, Habib said, “so any rumors will not affect the country. We have a constitution that ensures a smooth transition, so that there is no disturbance regarding a peaceful and civilized succession of power.
Under the constitution, if the president has died or is unable to effectively perform his duties, the speaker of parliament takes over until elections are held within 60 days.
