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On the face of it, the question is silly: What’s wrong with the Egyptian president seeing his doctor every so often for an ear ache?
But for intelligence analysts, the question is: If Mubarak just has an earache, then why does he travel annually for the same problem to the leading clinics in Europe?
For more than two years, Hosni Mubarak has taken advantage of his European tour to make his way to clinics in Paris and Berlin. He often spends as much as a week undergoing examinations for what later is described as an ear inflammation.
Mubarak is 71, an age where he can easily function. The problem is he doesn’t have a vice president and has been extremely guarded about his health.
In Cairo, the rumor is that Mubarak has been suffering from a brain tumor. But there is no evidence of that. Indeed, his face and head do not appear as if he’s undergone radiation or chemotherapy.
Mubarak’s latest trip to the doctor was last month. Unlike his previous trips to a military hospital outside Paris, Mubarak this time went to Berlin. This clinic deals in several areas, particularly heart ailments.
The analysts are examining reports that Mubarak has been complaining of an irregular heartbeat and weakness relating to an ailment. Such complaints are believed to have intensified over the last few months because of Mubarak’s greater workload amid the current tension in the Middle East.
Network ‘news judgment’ depends on who benefits
Tim Graham