ROME: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Wednesday Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak looked "in great shape" at a joint press conference after undergoing surgery in March.
Berlusconi, 73, said the 82-year-old Mubarak "is still a young man."
Mubarak’s trip to Italy for an Italian-Egyptian summit is his first since he underwent surgery in Germany for an inflamed gall bladder on March 6. A growth was removed from his small intestine as well.
When asked by a journalist about his possible successor, Mubarak grinned, pointed up and said "only Allah knows."
During the summit the two countries signed 15 agreements on tourism, agriculture and trade, and announced the opening of a maritime route between Venice and Alexandria.
Berlusconi also told journalists that the international community would remain vigilant to ensure that a compromise brokered on Tuesday over nuclear fuel in Iran is not "a trick."
"Should Iran not take a step back from its willingness to get nuclear arms, scenarios would be terrifying," Berlusconi said.
