Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has temporarily delegated his powers to his prime minister after travelling to Germany on Sunday for an operation on a slipped disc, officials said.
Egyptian state television quoted a presidential decree as saying Mubarak, 76, had delegated his powers to Prime Minister Atef Obeid during his absence. He is due to undergo surgery in Munich on Monday.
The operation is normally a simple procedure and expected to last just 40 minutes, but it follows persistent rumours about the health of the Egyptian president who has ruled the Arab world's most populous country since 1981.
Concerns about Mubarak's health arose after he postponed meetings this month with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and then with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie.
But he appeared in public last Wednesday, standing and talking to reporters about Egyptian plans to help the Palestinians if and when Israel withdraws from Gaza.
Last November he collapsed briefly during a speech to parliament. Officials said that was from a combination of cold medication and fasting in the month of Ramadan.
Yasser Reda, the deputy Egyptian ambassador to Berlin, said Mubarak had arrived in Munich and was on his way to the hospital. "Everything is OK," he said. "He is in good shape. It is a routine operation. Nothing serious."
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