CAIRO: The annual Labor Day speech by President Hosni Mubarak was delayed until further notice due to his weak health, news portal Masrawy.com reported Monday. Mubarak has remained in Sharm El-Sheikh for convalescence ever since his return in late March following gall bladder surgery in Germany. The report indicated that the presidential office had refused the idea of Mubarak giving the speech while sitting down. Yet Mubarak hosted Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Sharm El-Sheikh Monday to discuss the possible resumption of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. “His Labor Day speech is a political and social one he addresses to Egypt's working classes,” said Nabil Abdel-Fatah, an analyst at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. “In it he gives assurances that the regime remains concerned about their well-being as Egypt continues its transition to a market economy.” Mubarak, who turns 82 today, travelled to Germany in March to have his gall bladder removed as well as a small growth on his small intestine, prompting speculation about whether he would continue in his post and whether he would run in next year's presidential election. Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif was appointed acting President while Mubarak was in Germany. With no appointed Vice President, and no announcement from the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) about a potential successor for Mubarak if he is not to run in 2011, speculation has only increased over the political future of Egypt. Names such as that of Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman and Arab league Secretary General Amr Moussa have cropped up as possible successors, and there is also the insinuation that Mubarak's son Gamal — a leading figure in the NDP — might succeed his father. On a parallel note, former IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei has returned to Egypt and formed the National Coalition for Change, which is calling for constitutional reform that would amend the conditions for presidential candidacy. ElBaradei has said he was willing to run for president if the amendments are made. Netanyahu visited Mubarak to discuss the resumption of indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority which broke down in March after Israel announced the construction of more settlements in Jerusalem. President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas is expected to visit Sharm El-Sheikh on Wednesday to meet Mubarak, which indicates that the Egyptian president will remain in the Red Sea resort for now. “The Egyptian role in the peace process is different now due to regional restrictions that have arisen over new alliances amongst Arab states with the US and Europe,” Abdel-Fatah said. “Egypt is now an arbiter of a process set by the US.”
