JERUSALEM: Israeli Trade Minister Benjamin Ben Eliezer said on Sunday that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was in excellent health and would remain in politics for a long time.
"I noted that he is strong, and very angry about all the rumors concerning his health," the minister added about Mubarak, who underwent an operation in March.
"I spoke to him very recently. Without being a doctor, I can be sure by the sound of his voice that he is in excellent health and will remain in the political arena for a long time," Eliezer told Israeli army radio.
His remarks came hours before planned talks in Cairo between Mubarak and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a separate meeting between the Egyptian president and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas.
Mubarak, 82, underwent a March 6 operation in Germany to remove his gall bladder, and his meeting with Netanyahu was postponed twice, fuelling rumors about his health.
